The Babysitter
by starry night blue
Summary: [COMPLETE!] When 15 year old Megumi takes up her first babysitting job for a 9 year old Sanosuke, she simply has no idea how this job is going to change her life...
1. Her First Job

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…although I wouldn't have said no for Sanosuke Sagara!**

**Hi! Well, here goes another SxM fic of mine! I got the idea of this one at 6 30 in the morning, and although I couldn't wait to write it, I had to wait till I finished the other two fics I was writing at that time. Well, anyway, here it is now, and I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 1: Her First Job**

Megumi Takani pressed the buzzer and stood back on the front porch before the beautiful Oak door before her. She fumbled nervously with the straps of her purse, and kept shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

She only waited a few moments before somebody came to the door and opened it. In the doorway stood a man with jet-black hair that fell elegantly over his eyes. The guy looked like he was in his late twenties, and he smiled at Megumi, holding his hand out as he did.

'Hello, you must be Megumi Takani, right?' he asked, and she nodded as she shook his hand. 'I'm Souzu Sagara…do come in, please.'

He stepped aside to let her through. Megumi stepped over the threshold and in through the door. The first thought to cross her mind when she glanced around was how _f-i-n-e _the Sagaras' house was. She looked around in wonder at the wooden staircase and the beautiful antiques which were scattered here and there…and she was only still in the hallway!

'I hope it doesn't bother you to baby-sit for my son, but it's really important that I go to the office tonight,' Mr. Sagara said from behind her.

Megumi tore her eyes away from the beautiful painting she was gazing at, and turned to look at the man. 'No, it's alright,' she assured her. 'Besides, I need the money…my parents want me to start saving for college.'

He smiled at her. 'Good, I like a hard-worker…but how old are you again?' he asked.

'Fifteen,' she answered shortly. 'I hope it doesn't bother you that a girl my age baby-sits for your son.'

'No, it's fine with me,' he assured her. 'Okay, let me see where my son is, then…follow me, please.'

Megumi nodded and went after him as he led her further into the house. She wondered secretly within herself why a big household such as this didn't have servants around. The Sagaras looked rich enough, so why not have a servant or two, and maybe even a permanent babysitter?

Mr. Sagara led her into what looked like a living room. Comfortable-looking couches were scattered around the room, and a big TV screen rested in the middle, in front of which sat a little boy with a wad of unkempt brown hair.

'Sanosuke, I'd like you to come here and meet Miss Megumi Takani,' Mr. Sagara said in a firm, but yet gentle tone.

The kid nodded. Eyes still glued to the screen, he scrambled up to his feet and headed to the door, almost stumbling right into the coffee table as he did.

'Sano, say hi to Miss Takani,' Mr. Sagara instructed his son.

Sano finally looked away from the screen, and gazed up at Megumi with big, and in her opinion, adorable, chocolate brown eyes. He stuck his hands deep into the pockets of the pair of jeans he was wearing. She saw that he only reached a little above her waist.

'Hi, Miss Takani,' he murmured.

Megumi smiled at him. 'Hello, Sanosuke,' she said softly.

Mr. Sagara bent down and ruffled his son's hair. 'Miss Takani will be staying with you while I'm away at the office, okay?' he told him, and the boy nodded. 'I promise I won't be late.'

He straightened up and looked around at Megumi. 'I've left a list of numbers stuck on the fridge's door in case of any emergency, and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything,' he told her.

'Don't worry, Mr. Sagara, everything will be fine,' she assured him.

'Good, I hope so,' he replied. He ruffled his son's hair again. 'I want you to behave yourself while I'm away, okay?'

'Okay,' Sano said quietly.

'I'll try to be back within two hours,' he told them both. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to be going.'

He detached himself from them and headed to the door. Megumi watched as he took the coat which was hanging on the peg by the door and threw it over his shoulders. He opened the door and waved at his son.

'Bye, dad!' Sano cried, waving back, and his father was gone.

There was an awkward moment of silence while Megumi stood gripping the straps of her purse, and Sano stood fumbling with the hem of his white t-shirt.

'So…' she finally said, smiling down at the boy. 'What should we do now?'

'I don't know,' Sano replied. 'You're supposed to tell me what to do…you're the adult here.'

'Oh,' Megumi murmured. 'Well, I want you to be the one to decide…what do you want to do?'

'Um…okay, I didn't have dinner yet…could we have dinner?' he asked politely.

Megumi grinned. 'Okay, we can have dinner,' she agreed. 'Where's the kitchen?'

'It's right over here,' Sano said, leading the way.

He padded over the carpeted floor in his bare feet, his hands still stuck in his pockets. Megumi set down her purse on a couch and hurried after him. She walked into the biggest kitchen she'd ever seen in her life, and her eyes widened. Sano just crossed over to the fridge and opened it, peering inside.

'Well…we have some left-over lasagna from lunch, a couple of tuna fish cans, eggs…' he said, and turned around to look at his baby-sitter. 'What should we have?'

Megumi smiled. 'Oh, I dunno…the lasagna seems nice, I suppose,' she told him.

The boy nodded. 'Good choice,' he agreed, and reached in for the plate. 'My dad only makes the best lasagna!'

'Should I help you with that?' Megumi asked, walking over to him.

'No, it's okay,' he replied. 'I can manage on my own…you can sit down while I heat it up.'

Megumi nodded. She perched herself up onto a stool at the table. 'Hey, Sanosuke, where's your mother?' she asked.

The boy placed the plate in the microwave and pressed the heating button. 'Mom died two years ago,' he whispered.

_Why the hell did I have to ask? _'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said softly.

'Yeah, me too, I liked her, her name was Itsuko; I thought it was a pretty name, don't you think?' he said, his eyes shining with tears; he was obviously trying real hard not to cry in front of her. Megumi nodded. 'I think your name is nice, too.'

Megumi smiled at him. 'Why, Sanosuke, that's a very nice thing to say,' she replied. 'Thank you.'

Sano nodded but didn't say anything. He placed an empty plate before her and another plate for him across from her. Megumi watched silently as he took the lasagna out of the microwave and placed it on the table. She assumed he knew how to handle himself pretty well since there were no servants in the house. He sat on the table, and Megumi noticed that his feet hung a foot above the ground.

'Let's eat!' he said brightly.

Megumi didn't have much since she had only just had dinner with her parents, and when she finished, she just sat and watched the little boy eating.

'How old are you, Sano?' she asked.

Sano swallowed the food in his mouth. 'Eight,' he answered. 'I turn nine in five months.'

'So you were born in February, right?' she asked. He nodded, since his mouth was too full to be able to speak. 'My birthday is in June.'

'Mom's birthday was in June,' he told her, after he had swallowed. 'The nineteenth of June.'

'Ah, well, mine's on the tenth of June,' she told him.

Sano finally finished his plate, and he pushed it away from him. 'Done!' he exclaimed.

'Well, then, I guess I'd better rinse off those plates,' Megumi said, sliding off her stool. She picked up the plates and went to the sink. She turned on the water. 'Tell me, Sanosuke, don't you have servants in the house?'

Sano shook his head. 'No,' he answered, dangling his feet off the stool. 'Mom didn't like servants, and after she died, dad didn't get any servants in respect of her memory…we don't mind, though, dad and I do all the house-work on our own…and I don't think it's nice to order people around.'

Megumi smiled inwardly. She just couldn't believe how sweet this boy was. He was polite, and kinda deep, and he even made compliments. At first, she had been worried about taking this babysitting job, after all, it was a great responsibility…and she was really grateful it turned out to be really easy.

She finished rinsing the plates, and dried her hands on the towel hanging on the wall beside the sink. She looked around at Sano, who was swiveling around on the stool. 'What should we do now?' she asked him.

'Would you like to play?' he asked her, grinning.

'Play?' she repeated, blankly.

-

'Ouch! No, stop! Ow, that hurt! No!'

Megumi's fingers pressed any button on the PlayStation's joystick she was holding, but nothing seemed to work with her. She watched frantically as Sano's fighter threw several punches and kicks at her own fighter. When Sano had first talked her into playing the game with him, she really wasn't interested. She never liked these games…let alone street fighting games, but now she was so immensely absorbed in it, she had asked for rematches six times in a row.

'You lose…again,' Sano said, smirking, as his fighter sent her fighter to the ground with one final blow.

Megumi groaned. 'Well, you can't blame me, this is the first time I've even tried this thing!' she protested.

'Really? How come? Don't you like to play?' he asked, looking confused; _there was someone in this world who had actually never tried a PlayStation before?_

'No, it's not that, sweetie, I just don't have time to play,' she told him, smiling. 'I spend most of my time studying.'

'Why do you do that?' he demanded. 'I mean, I study too…but my dad keeps telling me that I should keep time for playing too.'

'I have to study to get good grades so I'd be able to go to a good University,' she explained. 'When you grow up, you'll understand what I'm talking about.'

'I want to be a fire-fighter,' Sanosuke said, grinning happily.

'That's nice, you like helping people, no?' she said, and he nodded vigorously. 'Well, me…I want to be a doctor.'

'What type of doctor?' he asked curiously. 'A children's doctor? An adults' doctor? A surgery doctor?'

'I still haven't decided,' she replied. 'But I think I might become a children's doctor…how would you like that?'

Sano beamed at her. 'That's great! So when I'm sick, I can come to you, right?' he said, sounding genuinely excited.

Megumi laughed. 'Sano, by the time I become a doctor, you'll be an adult too,' she told him. 'I don't think you'll be coming to _me _for treatment.'

'Can't you treat adults' sickness as well as children's?' he asked, looking slightly crest-fallen.

'Well, I suppose I could,' she replied.

'So I can still come to you when you become a doctor!' he exclaimed.

'I doubt you'll even remember me when you grow up and I become a doctor,' she said.

'No, I will always remember you,' he said seriously. 'You're a nice person, and I don't forget nice people.'

'Aw, Sano, that's so sweet,' she said softly. She held her arms open. 'I want to hug you, can I hug you or does that violate any boy rules?'

Sano blushed. 'No, it doesn't,' he murmured.

Megumi smiled and pulled him into her arms. The boy encircled his thin arms around her neck and hugged her back, although Megumi could feel that he was shaking slightly. She let go of him, and he sat back, his face a deep shade of red.

'I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?' she asked gently. He shook his head, and murmured something unintelligible. 'I'm sorry, what did you say?'

'I just never hugged a girl before,' he murmured.

'Never?' she repeated, frowning. 'Well, that's weird; because you seem like a perfectly adorable and huggable boy, it's strange that no girl actually hugged you before.'

Sano looked cautiously at her. 'Do boys hug you, Miss Takani?' he asked shyly.

Megumi sighed; her love life _and _social life sucked. She was so isolated from the people around her. The only people she ever really got close to were her parents. Nobody seemed to want to be friends with her…and she felt…lonely.

'No, not really,' she mumbled.

'Why not?' he asked, sounding highly surprised. 'You're so pretty, if I were a grown-up I'd hug you every single hour.'

Megumi smiled fondly at him. 'Oh, I dunno…I suppose boys find me scary,' she murmured. Sano blinked. 'You really mustn't worry yourself about such stuff, Sano, I'm pretty sure that when you grow up, girls will be running to…um…_hug _you.'

'But still…we're talking about you, aren't we?' he said, frowning. 'If grown-up boys are so stupid to not notice you, then I don't think I want to grow up…I'd prefer to be a kid who likes you than a grown-up who doesn't like you.'

'Oh, Sano…' Megumi whispered.

'But I know if I were a grown-up, I would've liked to be your boyfriend,' Sano said, smiling at her.

Here he was…a little adorable boy she only met forty minutes ago, and he was telling her how much he liked her. Kids were always so innocent, and when they said something, they meant it. And to have a boy such as Sano tell her that, Megumi was just over-whelmed.

Megumi's eyes brimmed with tears and she hugged the boy again. 'You're absolutely precious, you know that?' she said softly. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome, Miss Takani,' he replied.

-

'Well, Sanosuke, your dad says he's gonna be late a bit, and he's asking you to go to sleep now,' Megumi said, after she had returned the mouth piece to its place.

'Can't I stay up a bit longer?' he whined.

'I'm sorry, Sano, but your father says it's already past your bedtime,' she replied. 'I'm afraid you'll have to go to bed.'

'Oh, okay,' he huffed.

'Good, let's get you changed into your PG's then,' she said. 'Where's your bedroom?'

'Up there,' Sano told her, taking her hand and pulling her forward. 'C'mon, I'll take you to it.'

Megumi allowed Sano to drag her up the staircase and down the corridor to his bedroom. He pushed the door open and went inside to turn on the lights. Megumi walked in just as he turned on the lights.

'Wow! This is two times bigger than my bedroom!' she exclaimed.

'Really?' he said. 'I could share my bedroom with you, I don't mind.'

Megumi smiled at him. 'No, but thank you, Sanosuke,' she replied. 'My parents would want me to stay at the house with them, don't you think?'

'Yeah, I guess,' he agreed.

She clapped her hands together. 'Okay, where are your pajamas?' she asked him.

Sano turned around to his closet, and pulled a blue pajama out of the drawer. 'Here it is,' he said. His face turned scarlet. 'Um…would you mind not looking while I change, Miss Takani?'

'No, of course not!' she said, laughing. 'You need your privacy…I understand.' Sano smiled gratefully at her and she turned around from him. 'Tell me when you're finished.'

She heard him shuffling around in the background, and did her best not to turn around and peek at him; kids were always so cute when they dressed and undressed themselves. Instead, she gazed at the picture hanging on the wall in front of her. She walked closer towards it.

'Hey, Sanosuke, is that your mom?' she asked, pointing at the woman in the family picture.

'Huh? Oh, yeah, that's my mom,' he replied. 'We took that photo when I was only four.'

Megumi touched the four-year-old Sano in the picture with her finger and smiled. He looked even more adorable then, something she didn't think was possible.

'I'm done!' Sano announced from behind her.

Megumi looked at him. He was now wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of blue pajama trousers. She smiled appreciatively at him. 'Good,' she said. 'Now why don't you run along and brush your teeth so I could tuck you in, what do you say?'

Sano nodded and hurried out of the bedroom. Megumi crossed the room over to his bed and pulled back the sheets for him, and then sat down and waited for him. He came back a few minutes later, hands stuck firmly in his pockets.

'Did you brush your teeth?' she asked him.

'Yup,' he answered.

'And did you…?' she said.

'Yeah, did,' he replied.

'Good, okay, now get into bed,' she instructed him, getting up to make room for him.

Sano nodded and climbed onto his bed. Megumi pulled the sheets over him and tucked him in.

'Good night, Miss Takani,' he said softly.

'Good night, Sanosuke, sweet dreams,' she replied. 'Shall I turn off the lights?'

'Yes, please,' he agreed. Megumi started to head to the switch, but he called her back. 'Miss Takani?'

'Yes, Sano?' she said. 'Do you want something?'

'Um…would you mind giving me a goodnight kiss?' he said quietly. 'Nobody gave me a goodnight kiss ever since mom died…and I'd really like it if _you _gave me one.'

'Oh, sure, Sano,' she replied, smiling. She went and leaned over him, kissing him on the forehead. 'Is that good?'

'Can I kiss you back?' he asked timidly. Megumi laughed and nodded. Sano raised his head a bit and planted a kiss on her cheek; Megumi was amazed at how soft his lips were. 'Thank you, Miss Takani.'

'No…thank you, Sanosuke,' she whispered.

She went and switched off the lights. Then she headed to the door. She stood and watched him for a while from the doorframe, before closing the door on him.

'Good night, Sanosuke,' she breathed.

-

**12 years later…**

A highly disgruntled Megumi found herself being squeezed further to the edge of her seat as more people loaded into the subway train. She sighed in exasperation. Why did her car have to break down today? On her graduation day?

She hugged the bag in which she had neatly folded and placed her graduation clothes tightly between in her arms.

_Ten years in University…and it all comes down to this…me, Megumi Takani, a pediatrician…_

She smiled inwardly at her success. She had finally achieved what she wanted. Ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to be a doctor, and now…her dream was coming true. She sighed in contentment. All the hardships she had gone through had finally paid off. She had earned this; she had worked hard for it and she had definitely earned it.

She leaned her head against the cool glass of the window, and tried, but failed, to block the loud chattering of the other passengers. She scowled; she wanted this journey to end quickly.

She sighed again.

'Miss Takani!'

Megumi nearly jumped, and cast a quick look around. Who had just called her? Who had called her _Miss Takani_? Nobody ever called her that; everybody called her Takani or Megumi or Meg…but not Miss Takani. It had been twelve years since anybody called her by that name.

It would be impossible if that person was the one calling her right now. Her gaze fell on a young man, pushing through the passengers to…get to her? He saw her looking at him, and he waved at her, grinning widely.

Megumi frowned. _What was this guy's problem? How did he know me?_

The man finally untangled himself and was now standing right in front of her, panting slightly. Megumi, still frowning, cast a studying look over him.

He was slightly tanned, and had spiky brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He was dressed in a designer suit of white cloth. But there was something oddly familiar about him. He grinned at her.

'Miss Takani, how are you?' he asked. 'It's been a long time.'

Megumi continued to frown. 'Excuse me, but do I know you?' she asked.

'What? Oh, I'm sorry! Of course you wouldn't recognize me!' he said, grinning sheepishly. 'It's me; Sanosuke Sagara, remember?'

Megumi stared at him. 'You're the one I…?' she said, and her voice trailed off.

'Yup! You babysat for me twelve years ago,' he told her. 'Do you remember now?'

'But you're all…grown-up now!' she exclaimed, still staring at him. It was Sanosuke, but yet, just not the same Sanosuke she saw twelve years ago. She couldn't believe that this tall, handsome guy was the adorable boy she babysat for.

'Of course I am, you don't expect me to remain a kid, do you?' he said, smirking. 'Miss Takani, you just won't believe how happy I am to see you again!'

Megumi could only nod her head.

**-**

**A/N: Whee! I'm done! Isn't Sano so kawaii? I thought he was the most adorable thing ever, didn't you? I know it seems weird that he should be all sweet and adorable, but you just wait till later; little Sano is nothing like big Sano! Plz review! And wait for my next chappie!**

_**-ZEN.** _


	2. The Reunion of the Babysitter and the

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, although I keep telling the producers that I would've gladly settled for Sanosuke!**

**Hiya, people! No, I wasn't dead, no, I didn't have what they call a "mind blockage", no, my best friend didn't hold me hostage until I handed her my entire anime collection…let's just say I had exams…is that good enough an excuse?**

**But really, guys, thanks for the reviews! I can't believe my story got so much attention! 19 reviews! WOW!**

**Ehm, anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Reunion of the Babysitter and the Babysittee**

_Wow. He's cute. _Megumi tried to take back those words as soon as she thought of them. _Shame on you, Megumi, the boy must be at least six or five years younger than you, and look how you're thinking of him. _B_ut _no matter how she tried, she couldn't deny the fact that Sanosuke was a real _eye-candy._

'May I sit downnext t_o _you?' he asked.

'Um…yeah, sure,' she agreed, moving a bit so as to make a space for him.

He plopped down next to her, and turned sideways in his seat to face her. 'You seriously have no idea how happy I am to see you, Miss Takani,' he said, grinning.

'Really?' she asked.

'Yeah,' he assured her. 'And how come you never came to baby-sit for me again? I asked for you several times, but you never came.'

_Boy, this is awkward. _'It was really nothing personal, I swear,' she told him. 'I just never needed to baby-sit again, that's all.'

'How come?' he asked, curiously.

'Ah, well, you see, I got a scholarship, and the whole point of me working was for me to earn money for the university…but with the scholarship, who needs to work?' she explained. 'Are you getting my point here, Sanosuke?'

He nodded slowly. 'Y'know, somehow I'm relieved,' he told her. 'Because I thought that the reason you never came back was because you hated me.'

'Don't be silly, I would've never hated you!' she said, quickly and without thinking. 'I _adored _you!'

Sanosuke stared at her, and that's when she realized, with horror, what she had said.

'You adored me?' he repeated.

Megumi flushed. 'Um…I mean…' she stuttered. 'What I meant to say is…'

Sanosuke laughed. 'Relax,' he told her. 'I understand what you mean, Miss Takani…but seriously, you _adored _me?'

A bit of color returned to Megumi's face. 'Well, don't you have a picture of yourself when you were little? You were so cute!' she told him.

'Were?' he repeated.

Megumi paused for a moment. 'Don't go trying to interpret every single word I say!' she said angrily.

Sano held his hands up in a surrender gesture. 'Okay, okay, I apologize, Miss Takani,' he said, laughing.

'And stop calling me Miss Takani, we're all grown-ups now, you can drop the formalities,' she told him. She let out an exaggerated sigh. 'I guess I'll just have to settle for Megumi now.'

'Yes, ma'am!' he said, and she laughed. He smiled appreciatively at her. 'So, what have you been up to, Miss Takani? Did you become a pediatrician like you were planning to?'

'Yeah, I…' she started, and paused. 'How did you know I was intending to be a pediatrician?'

He frowned at her. 'What do you mean, how did I know?' he said. 'You told me, remember?'

'Wha…? Oh!' she cried. 'Don't tell me you remember that from the time I baby-sat for you!'

Sano's cheeks became slightly tinged with pink. 'Well, yeah,' he murmured. 'Is that strange?'

She smiled warmly at him. 'No, it isn't strange, it's just really sweet,' she replied. She went on quickly to save him the awkwardness of the situation. 'Anyway, yeah…I did become a pediatrician…actually, I'll become an official pediatrician in just a few hours!'

'How come?' he asked, not quite getting the picture.

'I'm heading for my graduation right now!' she said happily.

'Wow, really? That's just so cool!' he exclaimed. 'Do you mind if I come along? I would really like to see you graduating.'

'Um…sure,' she agreed. 'But, Sanosuke, weren't you heading somewhere else?'

'Oh, yeah, I was going to meet a friend of mine outside the city,' he admitted.

'Well, you should go on with this meeting of yours,' she told him. 'I don't want to be standing in the way of your plans.'

'Don't talk nonsense, you're not standing in the way of my plans,' he assured her. 'I can go see Kenshin any time I want, but it's not everyday that I get to see you graduating.'

'Well, if you say so…' she murmured.

'I'll just call Kenshin and tell him not to wait for me,' he said. He took out his cell phone and punched in a number. 'Hello, mate, listen, I won't be coming today, so don't wait for me…no, it's not that…no, Kenshin! It's not that! I just met with an old friend on the train…yes, _train_…stop laughing, dammit! Just don't wait for me, okay? And apologize to Kaoru for me.'

Megumi watched him for a moment as he hung up. 'What's wrong with riding trains?' she asked suddenly.

'What?' he said, puzzled.

'On the phone, your friend was laughing 'cause you're riding a train,' she said. 'So what's wrong with riding trains?'

'Um…well, I've never had to ride in a train before, I have three cars…so if one gets screwed, I can use the other two,' he murmured. 'But I can't drive now, so I use the train.'

'You can't drive?' she asked curiously. 'Why not?'

'Well, my driving license is on hold until further notice,' he said, sounding embarrassed. 'I caused an accident…and I was drunk at that time, so my license was taken away.'

'You drink?' she said reproachfully.

'Um…don't you?' he asked.

'No…drinking's bad for your health,' she said firmly.

'Oh, come on, Megumi, a little drink wouldn't harm any one,' he chided her.

'You wouldn't believe the cases of death caused by alcohol I've come across during my training,' she said in a flat tone.

'Yeah, but that only happens with people who drink too much, I don't…' he said.

'We're here,' she interrupted him, as the train screeched to a halt before the station. She reached down her bench for her bag.

'Oh, I'll take that,' he told her, reaching down for the bag himself.

'No, it's okay, the bag's not that heavy, I can carry it on my own,' she replied.

'No, but I insist,' he said. He gently pried her fingers away from the straps of the bag. 'What kind of gentleman would I be if I allow the lady in my company carry in her own luggage?'

Megumi laughed at his words. 'Alright, Mr. Gentleman,' she said. 'Let's go now.'

She headed towards the exit, with Sano trudging behind her. They both headed to the station's exit.

'Megumi, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents? Don't they want to see their daughter graduating?' Sano asked suddenly.

Megumi kept on walking without glancing back at him. 'My parents died two years ago,' she told him, in an emotionless tone.

'They died in a car crash,' she continued in the same tone. 'Dad had been drinking, and he drove the car straight into a wall.'

Sano didn't say anything. _So that's why…?_

'I was there, I saw them die…and I couldn't do a thing about it,' she said. 'I didn't even stop my dad from drinking.

Sano could tell from her tone that she was broken. _So that's why she was acting so coldly when I told her I drink…_

Megumi stopped and looked around at him, a forced smile on her face. 'Come on, we have to go catch a cab,' she told him.

Sano nodded silently.

-

'Megumi Takani!'

Megumi, grinning from ear to ear, got up from her chair and headed towards the staircase leading up to the wooden stage. Her legs shook as she took the steps, but she kept on going.

_Finally, after all these years…_

Megumi walked straight towards the Professor who had taught her so much all these past years. He beamed at her.

'Well done, Megumi,' he said quietly. 'Congratulations.'

He handed her the certificate she had worked so hard to earn, and she took it with trembling fingers. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she managed to whisper a soft thank you.

She turned around to face all the people in the auditorium, and she raised her certificate before them. The crowds all cheered and clapped. She was simply overjoyed. And then she spotted him, sitting between the crowds, cheering his head off. Sanosuke.

If Megumi could've managed a broader smile, she would've smiled.

_-_

'Congratulations, Meg,'

'Yeah, congratulations. You've finally achieved your goal after so much hard work.'

'You go, girl!'

Megumi smiled. 'Thank you, guys, really,' she said to her fellow students.

'Megumi,' someone spoke up from behind her.

She looked around. Sano was standing there, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He looked shyly at her, and then he smiled.

'Congratulations,' he said softly.

She smiled back at him. 'Thank you,' she replied.

A friend of hers nudged her side. 'Ooh, Megumi, who's that?' the girl whispered. 'Your boyfriend?'

'Rika, shush,' Megumi hissed, her face blushing a delicate shade of pink. 'He's just a friend I met on my way here.'

'Yeah, _right_,' Rika drawled.

'Rika, I'm serious!' Megumi said angrily.

'Okay, okay,' Rika said, grinning. 'I'll leave you so you can talk freely with that total _hunk_ of yours…but I'll be asking for the details later.'

Megumi glowered after her friend, but turned her attention away from her when Sano started addressing her again. 'You can't begin to imagine how proud I am of you,' he told her.

'I think I can,' she said, smiling. 'I saw you cheering when my name was announced.'

'Oh, yeah, that,' he said, blushing slightly. 'I can get really excited sometimes.'

'I gathered,' she said, giggling.

'Well…so what do we do now?' he asked her.

_We? _'Um…what do you mean?' she asked, puzzled.

'Come on! I mean, we've got to celebrate, right?' he cried. 'You've just graduated! A celebration is definitely in order!'

'But…' she started to protest.

'No buts!' he interrupted her. 'Today I'm taking you to the best restaurant in the area, and we are going to celebrate!'

'Um…Sano, you really don't have to do this,' she told him, feeling awkward. 'It's okay.'

'But I want to do this, Megumi,' he insisted. 'Look at you! You hardly look happy about this! And I want you to be happy! Being a pediatrician is not simple!'

'But I am happy, Sano,' she assured him.

'Well, you've got a funny way of showing it, then,' he said, grinning. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. 'You're coming with me and there's nothing you can do about it!'

-

Megumi's hands fumbled nervously with the edge of the table cloth as she looked around the fancy restaurant Sanosuke had dragged her into. The place was incredible. Megumi didn't remember being in such a fancy place. She felt totally out of place in her simple skirt and blue sweater.

Sano grinned at her from across the table. 'It's pretty cool in here, isn't it?' he asked her.

'Yeah, it is,' she admitted. 'But don't you think it's also too expensive?'

'Shucks, what's a little money compared to your happiness?' he said, and Megumi smiled nervously at him. 'Just relax.'

A waiter approached their table. He handed them both a menu. 'Would you like to have a drink before we serve your dinner?' he asked.

Megumi looked down at her menu. All she was able to see was alcoholic drinks and nothing else. Her fingers tightened around the menu and she looked up at Sano, who was still studying his menu. She watched him closely. _Was he going to order anything?_

Finally, Sano closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter. 'No, thank you, I don't want to drink anything,' he told him. He looked around at her. 'Megumi, do you want something?'

Megumi smiled at him. 'No, I don't,' she said softly.

-

**A/N: Ah, now wasn't that sweet? I think I did a pretty good job here, didn't I? Even if the chapter was shorter than the last one. Well, anyway, if you did like the chapter, then please review…and if you didn't like it…just review anyway. I'll be waiting!**

**Oh, and wait for my next chappie!**

_**-Zen.**_


	3. Healing Wounds

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…I wish I did, though.**

**Hello! Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the long wait; I was actually going to update last Monday, but the chapter got deleted somehow, and I had to rewrite it all over again! It was annoying! Anyway, I'll leave you to read the chapter now. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: **

_Thanks for the lovely evening, Sano._

_Did you enjoy time your time, Megumi?_

_Yes, I did; it was great! I was very happy!_

_Then…I'm glad…_

A smile touched Megumi's lips as the memory wafted back into her mind. She did, indeed, enjoy her time; that day had been great…what with her graduation, and running into Sanosuke…well, it was mostly running into Sanosuke that made the day so great. A slight blush crept up her face as she remembered Sano's knee-weakening smile, but quickly regained her composure as a nurse burst into the room.

'Dr. Takani! I'm glad I found you!' the nurse said, panting slightly. 'You weren't answering your beeper so they sent me to look for you. Why weren't you answering your beeper?'

Megumi smiled apologetically. 'I'm sorry, I forgot it at home today,' she explained, as she got up to her feet and headed to the door. The nurse went after her. 'So, what's the deal?'

'Well, Dr. Morgan wants you to have a look at the charts of that asthmatic kid, George Kipler,' the nurse told her. 'He says something's not right, and he wants your opinion on the matter.'

Megumi nodded, and followed the nurse down the hospital corridors. She smiled slightly as she walked; this is where she belonged. She had worked so hard to finally be here, and here she was. Dr. Megumi Takani, pediatrician and pediatric surgeon. She just loved the sound of that. The hospital was like a second home for her. She didn't care if she got over-worked because she loved being here just the same. It had only been four days since she officially started working here…and a week since she had seen Sano. It was true that he had given her his phone number and told her that she could call him whenever she wanted to…but somehow, she never got to that. But if she wanted to be honest with herself, she'd say she just didn't have the guts to call him.

'Here we are,' the nurse said, pulling her out of her thoughts. She opened the door to the room to let Megumi pass through. 'Dr. Morgan's waiting for you.'

Megumi nodded and stepped into the room. She saw Dr. Morgan standing next to a patient's bed at the furthest side of the room. Taking care not to make any noise, she crossed the room towards him. He looked around when she approached him and smiled.

'Megumi, my dear, good thing you came,' he said. 'Here, have a look at this…something's wrong with the boy's chart, but I can't quite put my finger on it…what do you think?'

Megumi accepted the chart from the doctor and scanned it. She quickly managed to locate the thing which troubled her chief doctor. 'Well, Mr. Morgan, I think…' she said.

-

'Good work, Megumi. You did really well in surgery,'

'Thanks.' Megumi beamed at the compliment Dr. Morgan had given her. They were both washing their hands after they had done surgery on the Kipler kid. The surgery was successful, and George was now sleeping soundly in the ICU. She dried her hands, and left the room, giving Dr. Morgan a small wave before she closed the door. She started down the corridor and was starting to head towards the nurses' station when she spotted someone at the end of the corridor. Someone tall…with spiky brown hair. Megumi felt a familiar blush creeping up her face again. It was Sanosuke! Megumi felt a jumble of emotions erupt inside of her. Happiness at finally getting to see him, and anxiety about seeing him _here. _

'Sanosuke!' the word tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. And why did she have to say it so loudly…and excitedly? She hurried towards him.

Sanosuke frowned for a moment, and then he spotted her. His face broke into a smile. The same smile which made her go weak in the knees. He hurried over to meet her. 'Hey!' he exclaimed. 'I wouldn't have thought of meeting you here…what are you doing here?'

'I work here,' she told him, deadpan. She frowned at him. 'What are _you _doing here?'

'Uh…nothing! Just came here to see a friend!' he told her. 'So, okay…let's start over…hello, Megumi, how…?' He thrust his hand out, but immediately withdrew it and hid it behind his back. '…are you?'

'What've you got there?' she demanded.

'Nothing, really!' he assured her.

But she didn't listen to him. She reached out behind his back and pulled his hand towards her. She gasped as she saw the bloody bandage wrapped around his arm. Her eyes switched between his face and his hand. 'What is _this_?' she demanded.

'Um…well…' he started. He sounded really flustered.

'Sano!' They both looked around and saw a red-headed man coming towards them accompanied by a nurse called Leslie. 'I found someone to have a look at your wound!'

Megumi raised her hand to stop the nurse. 'It's okay, Leslie, I have this one covered,' she told her. 'He's a friend of mine…I'll see what's wrong with him.'

'Okay,' Leslie grumbled, and stalked off, muttering about how people kept wasting her time.

'Come on, let's find a room,' she told him, grabbing his good hand and dragging him behind her. The red-hair trudged after them. Megumi pushed the door to a room which was apparently unoccupied. She pointed to the bed. 'You lie there.'

'Megumi, you don't have to do this…' Sano started, as his friend closed the door to the room.

'But I _want _to do this, Sanosuke,' she replied. 'Just lie down on the bed.'

Sanosuke plopped down on the bed. 'But…I mean, you're a pediatrician,' he said quickly. 'And…um…I'm not a…kid.'

Megumi smiled. 'I know you're not a kid, Sano,' she assured him. 'But treating wounds can be done by any doctor. It's basic stuff, see? Assuming that it is a normal wound we're dealing with…is it?' Sano nodded. 'Okay, so we've got no problems! Lie down, please!'

Sano sighed and rested back against the pillow. Megumi stood next to him, and gently started unwrapping the bloody bandage around his hand. She could feel his eyes on her, and was trying her absolute best not to blush. She finally removed the bandage and threw it in a nearby bin. Then she turned back to his hand…and gasped again.

'What? What?' Sano cried out, alarmed.

'Oh, God! Sano, what did you to your hand?' she demanded. She was holding his hand now, and her fingers were tracing the ugly wound on his palm. Something pricked her finger. 'Ouch! Um…I assume you've been hurt by some glass?'

'Yeah…sort of,' he muttered.

'Thought so,' she mumbled. 'Well, I'll have to pick out he pieces of glass before I do anything else.'

She reached into the cabinet next to the bed and pulled out a pair of medical tweezers and a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton wool. She sat down on the chair next to the bed and started picking out the small glass pieces. She was concentrating hard on her work, and so Sano decided it was better he didn't say anything. He contented himself with watching her while she worked.

'Hey, remember when you were a kid, and you said that when I become a doctor, you're gonna come to me for treatment?' she said when she had finished picking out the glass. Sano nodded. 'Well, you got what you wanted!'

'Yeah…I did…' he said softly.

Megumi started dabbing antiseptic onto the wound. Sano winced. 'So…am I going to know how you got this wound?' she asked quietly.

Sano hesitated for a moment before speaking. 'Well, I sorta got into a fight…at the bar…' he said quietly.

'The bar?' she repeated.

'Well…we were playing cards, and the guys thought I was winning too much…and since everybody was drunk…things got a bit messy,' he murmured, taking care not to look into her face.

'Oh,' was all she said. She tossed the piece of cotton wool she had been using into the bin.

Sano's eyes widened. 'No! Megumi! I wasn't cheating! I swear!' he cried.

Megumi almost smiled. 'It's not that…' she said softly.

Sano looked a bit confused. 'What?' he asked, and then he caught on. For some reason, he was smiling. 'It's because of the drinking thing, right?'

Megumi didn't smile back. In fact, she didn't reply. After a moment, she spoke up. 'This is going to need stitches,' she said blankly.

The smile slipped off of Sano's face. 'Megumi!' he cried.

'I'm going to stitch you up, and you're to come see me in…' she continued.

Sano looked crestfallen. 'Megumi, please, listen to…' he pleaded.

Megumi flared up at once. 'Sano, I don't care! If you want to drink and get yourself killed, then I don't give a damn!' Almost immediately after the words left her lips, she clapped her hand to her mouth, realizing how harsh she had been.

Sano was stumped. '…you don't?' he said, hoarsely.

'Sano…' she whispered.

Sano drew his hand away from hers. 'No, it's fine…' he muttered. He sat up on the bed and slipped off of it. He headed towards his friend, who immediately started trying to calm him down.

She jumped up to her feet. 'Sano! Where do you think you're going?' she demanded.

Sano didn't look around at her. He reached for the doorknob. 'If you don't care, then I don't suppose you're going to bother _stitching me up…_'

'No, Sano! It's my job!' Megumi cried, and then she realized it was the wrong thing to say.

'Exactly…it's your job…' he agreed. '…just as it was your job to watch over me twelve years ago…'

Megumi was speechless. She could only watch as Sano pulled the door open, stepped out and slammed the door after him. His friend hung back. He was watching Megumi, who was still standing where Sano had left her, closely.

'Sano didn't drink,' he told her, and Megumi looked up. 'Everybody else was drinking, but he resolutely stuck to his little can of beer, even though everybody was teasing him. He was winning too much, and the guys at the bar got pissed off…one of them cut him with a broken glass of wine, and that's how he got his wound…I just thought that you should know.'

All of a sudden, Megumi felt ashamed.

-

_Thank you for babysitting my son, Megumi._

_Oh, no! I should thank you! Sano was absolute angel!_

_(Chuckle) So, I'm assuming he didn't cause any trouble? Because if he did, I'd have to deal with him tomorrow…_

_No, Mr. Sagara! Don't do that! I assure you, Sano was to a nuisance as an angel is to a devil!_

_That's a relief…okay, Megumi, here's your ten bucks…_

…_thanks…_

_What? Isn't it enough? Do you want more?_

_No…I was just thinking, if I weren't saving money for university right now, I wouldn't have taken the money…in fact, I would've paid you for letting me enjoy a few precious hours with Sanosuke…_

-

Megumi looked around wildly for Sano. She checked the people in the lobby twice, but couldn't see him anywhere. She hurried up the corridor, looking into rooms, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. She felt really upset; she had really been harsh to Sano, she didn't even listen to what he had to say. The guilt was chewing at her. She needed to find him. She just had to apologize.

_And where was the idiot roaming around with an injured hand such as his? He needs treatment!_

'Dr. Takani!' A young nurse came hurrying up to her. 'You're needed in room 57!'

Megumi was torn. She wanted to go look for Sano, but she also knew that she had to answer her call of duty. Feeling slightly dejected, she headed to room 57. A surgery was going on there. She put on a surgical coat and a pair of surgical gloves before walking in.

'What've we got?' she asked.

'Megumi! Thank goodness you're here! Every other surgeon is busy, and I need all the help I can get!' one doctor exclaimed. 'This guy was caught in an accident, he's suffering from internal bleeding but I can't figure out the source…I know this isn't your field of work, but what do you suggest?'

Megumi looked helplessly at the cut-up patient lying before her. Right now, she felt like she couldn't remember a thing from all her years of medical training. She frowned. _Jeez, Megumi! Get with the program!_

'Okay, anyone ordered an x-ray?' she asked.

-

'Thanks, Megumi! Your were brilliant!'

Megumi just nodded at the compliment. She was leaning against the wall, panting slightly. They had almost lost the guy, but in the end they managed to locate the source of the bleeding and got it to stop. But she didn't stay long to catch her breath; she had to find her own patient…she had to find Sano. She had to call him and apologize.

She didn't want to use the hospital's phone where everybody would be able to listen onto the conversation, so she hurried towards the exit. She pushed through the double doors and left the hospital building. It was cold outside, but she ignored the icy wind nipping at her arms and face and hurried to the phone booth right in front of the hospital. She stepped inside and closed the door after her.

She dug some coins out of her pocket and pushed them into the slot. Then she quickly dialed the number she had memorized so well and pinned the receiver to her ear. She held her breath as she listened to the rhythmic ringing of the phone. Finally, it was picked up.

'Hello?' Sano's voice carried over from the other line.

'Sano! Oh, thank goodness!' she exclaimed in relief.

'Me-Megumi?' Sano demanded, sounding really surprised. 'Uh…what do you want?'

Megumi took in a deep breath. 'Sano…I'm sorry,' she said softly. 'I'm sorry for what I did to you today…I'm sorry for not listening to you, and I'm sorry for not trusting you. I was stupid, I refused to listen to you when you wanted to explain…I shouldn't have done that, and I'm really sorry. So, please…'

'Please…what?' Sano prompted her when she remained silent for a while.

'So, please…come back so I can take care of your wound,' she continued. 'Let me clean it, and stitch it…please let me take care of you, Sanosuke.'

Sano was silent for a moment. 'Come back where?' he asked. 'I haven't really left.'

'Huh?' she said, confused.

There was a knock on the glass door behind her, and she whirled around. She gasped in shock. Sano was standing there, grinning, and holding a phone to his ear. He gave her a small wave. Megumi smiled, and returned the receiver to its place. Sano opened the door for her, and she stepped outside.

'You were here…the whole time?' she demanded, and he nodded. 'Why? Why didn't you have another doctor look at your wound?'

'I didn't want another doctor,' he whispered, not quite meeting her eye. 'Even when I left the room back there, I still wanted you to be the one to fix me up…but I didn't have the guts to go back in there and ask you for that after what I've said to you…'

'Oh, Sano,' she murmured.

'I'm sorry, Miss Takani,' he murmured, and gave her a look which strongly reminded her of the nine-year old Sano.

'You don't have to be,' she told him. 'And about what you said about it being my job to care for you…well, you're wrong; because, job or no job, I care about you…same way I cared when you were a kid.'

'Really?' he said, shyly.

'Yes,' she said, and held his hand. 'Now let's go back in there and take a look at this wound of yours…and by the way, I still think you were stupid not to have it checked by another doctor.'

Sano didn't reply. He remained silent till they got to the hospital doors, and she could feel his eyes watching her.

'Megumi,' he said, stopping her before she could go in. 'When you say you care about me same way as when I was a kid, is there…I mean, is that all it is?'

Megumi hesitated, and looked up at him. 'Yes, Sano, that is all it is,' she said firmly. Although between herself and her conscience, she really didn't know if that was really the truth. She looked away. 'Let's go in now.'

If she had looked away just a second later, she would've seen the hurt flitting across Sano's face.

-

**A/N: I'm done! I finally finished writing it! Yay! It was both exhausting and irritating having to rewrite it, but I think I did a better job on this version. So, anyway, I'm gonna just go now cuz I'm seriously pooped…but I do hope to get some reviews by tomorrow, 'kay? (hint, hint) **

_**- S. N. B.**_


	4. Confusion

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hello! Wow! You people made me touch 60 reviews in just 3 chapters! Thank you SO much! Anyway, I'm glad you all liked the chapter, and don't worry; there's still time left for Megumi to change her mind, don't you think? Okay, so here's the forth chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4:**

_Miss Takani…_

_Sano! Why are you still awake? I tucked you in half an hour ago! _

_I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep…_

_Well, now that's a problem, don't you think? How are you going to wake up for school tomorrow? _

…_sorry…_

_It's okay, Sanosuke, really…but what should we do now? Do you want to sit next to me? I was just doing my homework._

_Can I? _

_Yes…but I'm warning you, I'm not much entertainment when I'm working…_

_No! I'd love to watch you doing your homework! Thank you, Miss Takani!_

-

'Sano…why are you still hanging around? I removed your stitches an hour ago!'

Megumi had just stepped out of surgery room, and was just starting to shrug off her coat when she noticed Sano, standing across the corridor from her. He had come earlier that day to remove his stitches just as she had instructed him.

Sano now grinned sheepishly. 'Sorry, I just wanted to see you at work…is that okay?' he asked.

Megumi took off her surgical coat and set it aside. Underneath she had her white coat on. 'Yes, it's perfectly okay, Sano,' she replied. 'But why on earth would you want to do something like that? Don't you have something better to do? Don't you have any lectures you have to go to at the University?'

'Nope! Today is the only day I'm free during the week!' he told her.

'My point, exactly! If this is the only day you've got free, you should go out and enjoy your time! I don't think that watching me cutting people open is entertaining enough,' she muttered.

'But I love watching you work!' he protested. He faltered for a moment. 'Unless…you really don't want me around, is that it?'

'Don't be silly, Sanosuke…I just told you it's perfectly okay,' she told him. She checked her watch. 'Okay, listen; I have a thirty-minute break now? Want to go get something to eat? I know a nearby restaurant which serves the most amazing Mexican food.'

Sano smirked. 'Is that a date?' he asked her.

Megumi slapped his arm. 'No!' she snapped, and he laughed. She sighed. 'Wait for me by the door, I'm just going to leave my coat in my locker, okay?'

Sano nodded and went off. Megumi shook her head in exasperation and went to the doctor's locker room. She pulled off her white coat, and stepped up before her locker. She entered the combination and wrenched the door open. She hung the coat inside and was about to close the door when she paused before the mirror. She checked her reflection in it, and automatically reached out to smoothen out her hair. She looked okay, but she could look better. She hesitated and then reached into her locker for the red lipstick she always kept in there, and applied some to her lips. It was okay to look good…it wasn't as if she was doing it for Sanosuke…

Right?

When she was done, she shut her locker closed and headed out towards the door, where Sano was waiting for her. He held out his arm for her as she approached and she giggled.

She rested her hand on his arm. 'Let's go, shall we? I haven't had any breakfast yet and I'm really hungry,' she told him.

Sano nodded in agreement. He pushed the door open and they both left the hospital building. They walked together in silence; none of them seemed to be able to come up with a topic for them to talk about. When they reached the restaurant, Megumi tugged at his arm to stop him.

'We're here,' she informed him.

They went in and found an empty table by the wall. Sano pulled out a chair for her and she sat down with a quiet, "Thank you", and then he took the chair across from her. A waiter approached them with two menus.

'You can have whatever you want,' Sano told her, looking at her above his menu. 'My treat.'

'Oh, no, Sano! I can't let you pay for my lunch!' she exclaimed, shaking her head. 'You already invited me once to lunch!'

'So? I can invite you again,' he said, shrugging. 'I can invite you once or twice or maybe even more.'

Megumi hid her face behind the menu. 'Okay…but what makes you so sure I'm going to accept your invitations every time?'

Sano pulled the menu out of her hands and leaned forward. 'Won't you?' he asked. 'Because I had been hoping you'd accept my invitation for tonight.'

Megumi frowned. 'Why? What's happening tonight?' she inquired.

'Nothing much,' he answered. 'I'm going out tonight with Kenshin and his fiancée, Kaoru…and I was hoping you'd join us. I really want you to meet them.'

'But do _they_ really want to meet me?' she asked quietly, remembering Kenshin from the time he came to the hospital with Sano.

'Are you kidding me?' he demanded. 'Who wouldn't want to meet you? You're a great person…or don't you even know it?' He wagged a finger in her face. 'You know, that's a down-right shame, Miss Takani.'

Megumi laughed. 'Okay, I'll go,' she agreed. 'What time?'

'When do you finish work?' he asked her.

'Around eight thirty, maybe,' she replied.

'Good, so I'll come pick you up at…say, nine thirty?' he asked her. 'Will you be ready by then?'

Megumi nodded. 'That's good enough for me,' she agreed. 'But where are we going exactly? So that I know what to wear, that is.'

'Knowing Kaoru, we're probably going to a fancy restaurant,' Sano said thoughtfully. 'I'd say wear something really classy and sophisticated.'

'Classy and sophisticated…right,' she agreed. 'But for now, let's concentrate on lunch…where's my extra spicy taco?'

Sano stared at her. 'Wow! I didn't know I went out with the woman with iron-cast stomach!' he cracked. He was totally oblivious to the words he had mentioned, but Megumi noticed and she blushed. _"The woman I went out with"..._

'You know, you're so cute when you blush,' Sano told her.

'Oh…thank you,' she murmured, and looked down at her menu. She was aware of him watching her, but she didn't expect the hand which touched her face. 'Sano…'

Sano was looking into her eyes now. 'You know…I love you,' he said softly.

Megumi was stumped. 'I…' she started.

'You love me, too,' he told her.

'Oh…I do?' she said, her eyebrows raised.

He withdrew his hand from her face and crossed his arms on the table before him. 'Yeah…but you don't know it yet,' he said, smiling.

-

'Whoa! I must be in heaven!'

Megumi stared down self-consciously at herself. She was wearing a strapless, black dress which hugged her body tightly till her knees and then flowed outwards till her feet. It was slit all the way up to a bit above her knee. Her hair was piled up elegantly on her head and a pearl necklace rested around her creamy neck. And as a final touch, she had draped a silk shawl around her shoulders.

She blushed as Sano took her hand and kissed it. Then he straightened up and looked into her face for several moments. Megumi was sure her face was beetroot-red by now.

'Er…shouldn't we be going?' she asked him.

'What? Oh, yes! We should!' he exclaimed.

He pulled the door of his car open for her, and she climbed in. He shut the door and then turned around the car to the driver's side. He climbed inside and grabbed the stirring wheel with both hands. After a moment, he started the engine and pulled out onto the street. As they drove away from her apartment building, Megumi wished she could go back; she didn't feel exactly comfortable with Sano after what he had told her in the Mexican restaurant…which was the complete opposite of her dress, which showed she was totally comfortable.

'I see you got your driving license back,' she said conversationally.

'Yeah, I did,' he replied. 'Yesterday, in fact.'

'That's good, that means you won't have to take the subway train anymore,' she said, wrapping her shawl more tightly around her.

'I don't mind,' Sano told her. 'I've come to like subway trains…after all; I did meet you on a train, didn't I?'

'Yeah…yeah, you did,' she murmured.

They lapsed into silence, and it was an extremely uncomfortable one; in Megumi's opinion. Her hands were clasped tightly into her lap and her eyes were zoning on everything except Sano, who was concentrating on his driving. It was a total relief for Megumi when Sano announced that they had arrived.

He held his arm out for her like he had done at the hospital, and she took it. He lead her through the doors of the restaurant and then to a table where a couple were already seated. Kenshin and the raven-haired woman in his company stood up to greet them.

'Megumi, this is Kenshin; you've already met…and this is his fiancée, Kaoru,' Sano introduced her.

'Hi,' Megumi said, shaking their hands.

'Hello, Megumi-sensei,' Kenshin said politely.

Kaoru smiled as she shook Megumi's hand. 'Hi,' she said. 'Don't mind Kenshin, he's just polite like that.'

Megumi nodded. 'I think it's nice,' she told her.

Kaoru looked doubtful. 'You think?' she said. 'Do you think it's nice to call your fiancée Kaoru-dono?'

'Kaoru-dono…' Kenshin started to protest.

'See?' Kaoru said, and Megumi laughed. 'Don't worry, Kenshin…I'm not angry.'

Sano pulled out a chair for Megumi and she sat down. Next he pulled the chair next to her and sat down. He was sitting so close to her, that the hair on her skin was starting to prickle. Kaoru leaned forward towards Megumi.

'So…Sano tells me you're a doctor,' she said.

'Yes…a pediatrician, in fact,' Megumi replied. 'I've only graduated a few days ago.'

'But she's too good, you'd think she'd have been in the field for years,' Sano commented, smiling at her. She blushed.

Kaoru nodded. 'Really,' she said. 'Because I thought he was just…'

Sano seemed to see what she was getting at. 'Kaoru!' he cut her off, sharply.

'…kidding,' Kaoru continued. She laughed in an attempt to hide her loss for words. 'I mean, you don't look so old!'

Megumi knew that wasn't what the girl wanted to say. She knew Kaoru was going to say something about her being too old for Sano. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress, but she said nothing. Kaoru was right, and she knew it. Sano seemed aware of the tension hovering in the air around them, and clapped his hands together.

'Okay, shall we order now?' he asked.

There was a murmur of agreement around them and every one picked up his or her menu. Megumi looked down at the list of dishes and their prices. _God; the food here is incredibly expensive!_ She closed her menu and put it down.

Kenshin looked up at her. 'You already decided on the meal you want, Megumi-sensei?' he asked, surprised.

Kaoru leaned forward. 'Don't stick to one meal, Megumi,' she advised her. 'When those two are paying, take the liberty of ordering everything you want…they won't hesitate to pay for us, would you, boys?'

As one, Kenshin and Sano shook their heads. Megumi smiled; tonight might turn out to be pretty well, after all. She had to admit that Kaoru was really nice; she was trying her best to make her feel welcome, and she was succeeding. Megumi actually loosened a bit and allowed Sano to have a few drinks. She even accepted to drink from the glass Sano offered her. When they were done, Sano stood up and held his hand out for her. 'Shall we dance?' he asked.

Megumi nodded and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor. Sano rested a hand around her waist and took her hand with the other. Megumi rested her free hand on his shoulder, and they both danced together to the music.

'Are you enjoying your time?' he asked her.

'Yes…very much,' she admitted. 'Kaoru is really funny!'

'Yeah, she is, isn't she?' he agreed. 'She and Kenshin have been engaged for six months now, and both of them are deeply in love with one another…it some times gets nauseating just watching them.'

'Oh, come on…you must've gone through the same thing before,' Megumi told him. 'And you must've liked it.'

'Not really,' he replied.

'You never fell in love?' she demanded incredulously.

'I had a girlfriend here and there,' he admitted. 'But I was with them just for the pleasure of the company…I never was in love with any of them.'

'Oh,' she murmured. 'Don't you think you'll ever fall in love?'

'I did, actually,' he replied, and looked directly at her. 'But I'm not sure if the girl I fell in love with takes me seriously.'

Megumi didn't say anything. She just rested her head against his shoulder and continued to dance. She really wanted to go home now.

-

Megumi walked down the corridor to her apartment, with Sano at her side. They were both silent; each one of them deep in thought. She stopped and turned to face him when they reached her doorstep.

'Well, Sanosuke, thank you,' she said, smiling. 'Tonight was really…'

But Sano didn't allow her to continue as he cupped her face between his hands and brought his lips to hers in one swift movement. He pressed his lips against hers and her eyes widened in shock. She tried to pull away from him but he only slipped a hand behind her back and pulled her closer to him.

Finally, she managed to push him away. Sano stood, a hurt expression clouding his features. Megumi leaned against the wall, clutching a stitch in her chest.

'Sano…' she whispered.

'No, it's alright, I get the hint,' he told her. 'Good night, Megumi.'

Megumi watched him walk down the corridor for a while, and then…'No! Wait!' she cried, allowing her shawl to fall to the floor as she ran after him.

Sano looked around at her, bewildered. 'Megumi, what…?' he started.

Megumi stopped before him. She looked up at him with tearful eyes and brought a hand up to his face. 'Sano…it's okay,' she said softly. 'I know now…'

Sano could hardly believe his ears. It was only when Megumi pulled his face towards her and kissed him that his brain started to register what she had just said. He slipped her arms around her and held her tight as they both melted into the kiss.

'Ew!'

They broke apart and looked around. A small girl with blond pigtails was standing before them, looking disgusted.

'A-Amy!' Megumi gasped, pushing herself away from Sano.

'Ms. Takani! That man was sucking your mouth out!' the girl cried.

Megumi flushed. 'No, Amy, he's…' she said, trying to find the right words.

Sano smiled. 'It's okay, Megumi,' he said, and kissed her cheek. 'I'll see you tomorrow, okay?'

'Y-yes, good night,' she said, flustered. She watched him head down the stairs.

'Ms. Takani!' Amy said. 'That man looks as old as my brother! Don't you think kissing him is wrong?'

'W-wrong?' Megumi stammered.

'Yeah,' Amy said, nodding. 'It was wrong! It looked as if you were kissing Ben or something!'

Megumi was silent. She was absolutely speechless. The kid was right; what was she thinking? 'You go to bed now, Amy, and don't tell anyone about what you saw, okay?' she croaked.

Megumi felt really ashamed.

-

**A/N: Ah!I'm done! Too much drama in this chapter, eh? I think I've overdone myself this time, right? Well, anyway, I don't feel like writing a long note, so I'll leave you to review now, okay? **

**- S. N. B.**


	5. The Accident

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Wow! 21 reviews on my last chapter! Thank you so much! I'm glad you all liked it, seriously! I'm sorry I haven't been replying to the reviews, though, but I barely have time to even write nowadays! Well, anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the fifth chapter!**

**Chapter 5:**

'Dr. Takani, are you okay? You've seemed out of it ever since the morning.'

Megumi flashed the nurse a reassuring smile. 'Of course I'm okay; I just didn't sleep well last night,' she told her. 'A good cup of coffee and I'll be as good as new…there's nothing to worry about.'

The nurse nodded, although she still seemed a bit doubtful. 'Well, then, would you care to examine Mr. Andrews? He's been brought in a few minutes ago by his parents…he says he's suffering from a severe stomach pain,' she told her. 'He's in room 6.'  
'I'll be right there,' Megumi assured her.

The nurse nodded again and left the room. The door had barely closed when someone came walking in, all smiles and charm and flowers. Sano. Megumi gulped; she knew she was going to see Sano sooner or later, but still, she wasn't ready for it. Things were different now; especially after what had happened last night between them. She stood up from her desk.

'Good morning, Meg!' he said, hurrying forward towards her.

He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Megumi's heart thudded loudly against her chest as he lowered his face down towards her. _No, please, don't…don't…if you do, I won't be able to do it…I won't be able to bre…_

Sano kissed her, and Megumi felt herself melting into his arms. And with the kiss, she felt all her resolution fading into air. How did she even think of doing what she wanted to do? It was unthinkable. She needed Sano. She wanted him desperately. She raised her hands to his face, and that's when a voice echoed loudly in her head.

_"Miss Takani! That man looks as old as my brother…don't you think it's wrong to be kissing him?"_

Megumi felt like she was choking. She placed her hands firmly on Sano's chest and pushed him away from her. Sano stared down at her, but she just looked away from him. He let her slip out of his arms and she sat down on a chair. Sano knelt down in front of her.

'Megumi?' he said uncertainly. 'Is everything okay?'

'Yeah…everything's fine,' she murmured, her hands clasped in her lap.

'Okay…so why are you pushing me away then?' he asked, a frown on his face.

Megumi stared down at her hands. How was she to tell him? Telling him was much harder than she had expected. _Oh, God…give me strength. _She finally looked up at him. 'Sano…I'm really sorry, but I don't think we should be seeing each other anymore,' she said softly.

Sano stared at her for a few moments. He mouthed wordlessly for a moment, before he finally found his voice. 'What?' he demanded.

'We rushed into things…we're…not right for each other…' she said, averting her eyes from his face. 'I'm seven years older than you…it's wrong for us to be going out together…'

'Megumi, please! It doesn't matter! I won't care if you're twenty years older than me!' he cried, taking her hands between his. 'But please don't say it's over!'

'Sano…it's not right…' she murmured.

'Who gives a damn about what's right or wrong when they're in love?' he said angrily.

Megumi pulled her hands out of his grasp. '_I _do, Sano! I do care!' she said.

'But what about everything that was between us?' Sano asked, feeling helpless. 'What about the kiss we shared last night? Don't tell me that _that_ didn't mean anything to you!'

_Yes, it did mean something; it meant a lot to me, Sano. _'It was just a moment…' she lied. 'And _stuff_ does happen when you're caught in a moment.'

'Megumi, no!' Sano said. There was a definite note of anger in his voice now. He felt extremely hurt and betrayed; why was Megumi breaking up with him? What had happened to her last night? 'Look me in the eye and say it was only just a moment!' But Megumi was looking anywhere but his eyes. Sano put his hands to her face and forced her to look at him. 'Look me in the eye, Meg, and say it.'

Megumi pushed him away from her. 'No!' she cried.

Sano looked at her for a moment and then he got up to his feet. 'I thought so,' he said quietly. He picked up the bouquet of flowers he had brought in with him. 'Well, it's been nice while it lasted, Megumi. Don't stay in touch, okay?'

He turned and headed to the door. He tossed the bouquet in the bin next to the door and left the room without a second look back at her…and that was it; it was over. Megumi sat and stared at the door through which Sano had left. She couldn't believe she had gone and ended the one relationship that had meant something to her…but wasn't that what she wanted? Wasn't she the one who wanted to end it because of the age difference between them? She had managed to accomplish that…and yet she felt so empty.

Megumi started to cry. _Sano…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_

-

_Dad, why isn't Miss Takani coming to baby-sit me again?_

_I don't know, son…I keep trying to reach her, but she always seems to be out when I call her place._

_Could it…could it be that she's avoiding me?_

_Nonsense! Why would she want to avoid you? Unless, of course, you did something bad to her the last time she was here…_

_No, I didn't!_

_Okay, so why do you think she might be avoiding you?_

…

_Sanosuke?_

_Maybe…maybe she doesn't love me anymore…_

_-_

'I'm sorry, Dr. Morgan…I don't know how I managed to screw up in that operation…I'm really sorry,'

Megumi sat down on a chair and put her face between her hands. She was feeling extremely flustered. She had just come out of surgery room. She knew she had performed really badly in there; she would've almost lost her patient if it weren't for Dr. Morgan. She hadn't been focusing during the operation; all her thoughts had been on Sano. She felt bad for letting her own personal life affect her work.

'Megumi, you okay? Is something wrong? You haven't been yourself since the morning,' Dr. Morgan said, resting his hand on her shoulder. Megumi shook her head. 'Megumi, I know you enough to know that there's something wrong. You don't have to tell me what it is, but here's what I'm going to say…go home, get some rest…I know you'll be better by tomorrow.'

Megumi nodded. 'Thank you, Dr. Morgan,' she said gratefully.

She got up, waved good-bye to the doctor and headed to the doctors' locker room. She reached the room and made straight for her locker. She took off her coat and put it inside, and then she reached in for her purse. She didn't bother checking her image in the mirror before leaving the room.

She headed for the exit, and was almost there when the double doors flew open and a couple of paramedics rushed in, bearing a stretcher between them. Megumi managed to get a fleeting glance of the guy lying on the stretcher as the paramedics passed by her. She saw his face and froze.

It was Sano.

Megumi stared numbly at the bloodied shape of Sano being born away by the paramedics for a few moments before finally regaining control of her senses. Fear rose in her chest. She rushed after them, and grabbed the arm of one of the paramedics.

'What happened to him?' she demanded, feeling close to tears. 'How did he get like this?' The paramedic frowned at her for a moment; Megumi sensed his hesitancy. 'I'm a doctor…and I happen to know this man…what happened to him?'

'He was drunk and he was driving…went straight into a lamp post,' he told her in a rush. Surgeons were now hurrying towards them, stirring the stretcher towards an empty surgery room. The other medic was informing the surgeons of Sano's stats. 'Situation doesn't look good at all.'

Megumi felt her chest constrict. He had gone drinking right after she had ended their relationship…he had gone and done the thing which she hated the most; was he that angry with her? But Megumi couldn't help but admit to herself that all this was her fault. Sano had gotten into an accident because of her…and if things got bad and he…

Megumi didn't want to even consider the possibility that Sano might die. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if he did.

She started to follow the doctors into the surgery room. She wanted to help them. She wanted to help Sano. But someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Megumi was ready to fight tooth and nail with whoever had stopped her if they were planning to prevent her from helping Sano. It was Dr. Morgan.

'Megumi, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to go home?' he demanded.

Megumi looked frantically through the glass pane of the door leading to surgery room. The operation on Sano had already begun. 'Dr. Morgan! Sano…I have to help him!' she cried.

'Not in this state, you won't,' Dr. Morgan told her. 'I won't allow you into that surgery room. For all I know, you could cause your friend more bad than good. Leave this to the others. They'll know how to handle the situation.'

Tears stung Megumi's eyes. 'But I want to help him!' she insisted. 'I won't be in the way! I just want to help!'

'I know you want to help, Megumi, but I'm afraid you just _can't_,' the doctor told her. 'I'll go in there and take charge of the operation…your friend will be fine, I promise…but you're to just stay here, alright?'

Megumi, rather resentfully, nodded her head. The doctor gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze before turning around and walking into the surgery room. Megumi stepped up to the door and looked at the scene behind it. Her heart thudded loudly against her chest as she watched the surgeons and nurses flocked around his body. She tried to look past them at Sano, but they were completely obscuring her view.

_Oh, God…please let him be okay…_

-

To Megumi, it seemed as if ages had passed since Sano was taken into surgery. She sat before the room, hands clasped tightly in front of her as she prayed for Sano to be okay. When the doors swung open and Dr. Morgan came out, taking off his robe as he did, Megumi jumped up to her feet and hurried towards him.

'Dr. Morgan, how is…?' she started.

Dr. Morgan managed a weary smile. 'Don't worry, he's fine,' he assured her, and Megumi breathed out in relief. 'Surgery was a bit tricky; he had a concussion and internal bleeding in…'

But Megumi wasn't listening to him anymore. She was looking over his shoulder at a couple of doctors who were wheeling Sano on a bed out of the room. He, indeed, looked terrible; all bandaged and bloodied. Dr. Morgan snapped his fingers in front of her face to bring her attention back to him. Megumi blushed and bent down her head.

He smiled at her. 'They're taking him to the ICU, he's to remain under supervision for a while…just in case something happens,' he told her. 'He should wake up in an hour or so…if you want to be there for him, that is.'

Megumi beamed. 'Yes! Thank you, Dr. Morgan!' she said happily.

She excused herself and followed the two doctors to the ICU. She waited for them to position Sano's on a bed inside a room, before going in herself. She stood over his bed, and felt tears well in her eyes as she looked upon his messed up form. She was over-whelmed by guilt. If only she hadn't broken up with him, then none of this would've happened.

'I'm so sorry, Sano,' she said softly, stroking the hair off his forehead.

She sat down on a chair next to his bed and took his hand into hers. She just sat there watching him as he slept. She wanted him to wake up so she could apologize to him…she wanted to hear his voice again…she wanted him to hold her again…to tell her it was okay…but it seemed to take Sano ages to wake up. But when he did, Megumi had to refrain herself from flinging her arms around his neck.

'Sano…' she whispered.

Sano squinted into the bright light above his head, and tried to sit up in his bed. But Megumi placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back onto the bed, saying, "You should lie down for a while…you only just got out of surgery, you know."

Sano frowned at her for a moment. Megumi felt apprehensive. 'Sano, are you still angry at me?' she choked. Sano didn't say anything. The tears which were welling in her eyes rolled down her cheeks. 'Sano, I'm really sorry…I wish I could take back what I said, but I can't…so all I want now is for you to forgive me…please.'

Sano closed his eyes for a moment, and then he opened them and fixed her in a sharp gaze. '_Who_ are you?' he asked.

-

**A/N: (Drum beat) AH! Now, _that _adds to the complications, doesn't it? That was unexpected even for me…how? Well, I hadn't even planned to give Sano amnesia until I started writing the last part, and I thought, "Ah! That would make things a lot more exciting, wouldn't it?". Well, anyway, I'll stop talking now…but I want reviews on this chapter, okay?**

_**- S. N. B.**_


	6. Back in the Past

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hello! I'm back! I'm glad you liked the last chapter; I thought, for sure, that some people would've wanted to kill me because of what I did to Sano…so it was a relief when everybody approved of the way the story was going. Thank you for making me pass a hundred reviews in just five chapters! I'm so happy!**

**Chapter 6:**

Megumi felt the wind being knocked out of her chest. _Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? _…Sano's words replayed themselves in her mind over and over again. How could he have forgotten her? Or was he maybe playing some cruel joke on her? She simply didn't want to believe that Sano might have amnesia. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sano interrupted her suddenly, his expression brightened.

'Miss Takani!' he exclaimed happily. 'It's Miss Takani, isn't it? I couldn't recognize you at first, I'm sorry! But my vision was so blurry!'

Megumi's chest flooded with relief, and she threw her arms around his neck. She sobbed into his shoulder, totally oblivious to Sano's reddening face. 'Oh, thank goodness! I thought you'd forgotten everything!' she choked.

'Er…' was all Sanosuke managed to say.

Megumi giggled softly and pulled away from him. 'I'm sorry,' she murmured. 'You must still be in shock…I shouldn't have started babbling like that…but why did you call me Miss Takani? I thought I told you to drop the formalities?'

Sano stared at her in shock. 'But…but I _can't_ call you by your first name! That would be rude!' he cried out. 'And dad told me not to ever show disrespect or rudeness to _elders_! And besides, I'm only just barely _nine years old_!'

-

'Is that possible? Can it really happen? Can he actually be thinking that he's back a kid?'

Megumi felt hysterical. She couldn't quite believe that Sano had the mind of a nine-years-old now! It was too absurd! At first she had thought that Sano was playing a mean trick on her, but after talking to him some more, it became pretty obvious that Sano was anything but kidding. She looked into the ICU through the window at Sano, and he looked apprehensively back at her. He was looking pretty hysterical and bewildered himself.

Dr. Morgan felt that it was difficult for him to handle a situation which involved the hysteria of one of his best doctors. 'I'm afraid it is possible, Megumi,' he told her. 'There _are _known cases in which the patient suffers from temporary or permanent loss of memory in which he or she believes to have returned to a certain age.'

'It could be _permanent_?' she demanded.

'Yes, I'm sorry, Meg, but it could be permanent,' he replied. 'And there's no way to determine that…we'll just have to wait and see.'

Megumi shook her head. 'No,' she whispered, her eyes wide and fearful. 'It can't be permanent! Sano will remember everything! He can't remain a nine-year-old forever! Do something, Dr. Morgan! Make him remember! We can't just leave him like this!'

'But, Megumi, dear, I can't do anything to your friend,' Dr. Morgan said, shrugging apologetically. 'Amnesia isn't something you can get rid off by medicine or surgery…I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do but wait and pray for him memory to return…even you, Megumi; you should pray for him, too.'

Megumi's eyes filled with tears and she sank down on a nearby chair. She buried her face in her hands as she cried. Dr. Morgan didn't understand…he didn't understand how important Sano was to her. Even if she went and explained the situation to him, she doubted he would even understand it then. The Sanosuke sitting in that room wasn't the one she loved so much, even though he looked the same. She adored the nine-year-old Sanosuke, but it was totally different with twenty one-year-old.

'Megumi-sensei!'

Megumi looked up. She hastily wiped away her tears when she saw that it was Kenshin and Kaoru who were hurrying down the corridor towards her. Feeling rather shaky, she got up to her feet to meet them.

'We got a call from the hospital and we came here as fast as we could!' Kaoru said breathlessly. 'What happened?'

Megumi had forgotten that she was going to have to deal with Sano's friends and family later, and now that she was put in that situation, she felt at loss to as what to say. Luckily, Dr. Morgan was there to aid her. He stepped up next to her and put his arm around her. Megumi felt tears spring to her eyes at this warm gesture, but she fought them back.

'Your friend, Mr. Sagara, was involved in a serious car accident,' he said quietly. Megumi watched their faces become pale. 'Not to worry though, any permanent physical damage had been successfully avoided.'

Kaoru sighed in relief. 'Oh, thank goodness,' she whispered.

Kenshin, however, didn't look so relieved. 'There's more to this, right, sensei?' he said gravely.

'Yes, I'm afraid you're right,' Dr. Morgan said. 'While there was no physical damage, Mr. Sagara, unfortunately, developed a case of amnesia in which he had returned to the age of nine years old.'

'W-what?' Kaoru stuttered.

'In other words, ma'am, Mr. Sagara now believes himself to be nine years old,' he told her. Kaoru looked at Megumi for confirmation, and Megumi slowly nodded. Kaoru let out a loud sob and buried her face in Kenshin's chest. Kenshin, looking quite shocked himself, didn't even put his arm around his fiancé. 'Er…are you relatives of the patient?'

Kenshin and Kaoru both shook their heads. Megumi spoke up then. 'Where's…where's his father?' she asked.

'His father died nearly four years ago,' Kenshin said hoarsely.

'Dad didn't die!'

They all whirled around. Sanosuke was standing in the door leading into the ICU. He was glaring angrily at Kenshin.

'Sanosuke!' Megumi cried in alarm, hurrying towards him. 'What are you doing out of your bed? I told you to stay there until I came back, didn't I?'

'I'm sorry,' Sano murmured. 'But you took so long, and I felt uncomfortable in that room sitting with all these other sleeping people…I didn't want to make some noise which would wake them up.'

'Oh, Sanosuke…' she said. She patted his broad arm. '…it's alright.'

'Miss Takani,' Sano said, turning to face her. 'Why is _that man_ saying that my dad died? He doesn't even know my dad! I never even _saw _him before in my life!'

Megumi heard Kaoru utter a sharp gasp. She glanced back at them and saw that Kenshin was looking absolutely blank now. She winced, before turning back to Sano. 'You mean…you don't remember him?' she asked quietly.

Sano though for a moment. 'No…' he said. 'Should I?'

Megumi hesitated, and then shook her head and smiled. 'No, you shouldn't,' she assured him. 'Let's get you back into bed now, shall we? You shouldn't be wandering around like that after what happened to you.'

She took him by the hand and led him back into the ICU. She led him over to his bed and he climbed on top of it. Megumi then covered him up with his bed sheet and tucked him in.

'Miss Takani?' Sano said softly. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Of course you can, Sanosuke…anything,' she replied, sitting down on the chair next to his bed. 'What is it you want to ask me?'

Sano fell silent for a moment. 'Miss Takani, what's happening to me?' he finally asked. 'Why is my body so big? I feel that I've lost something…but I can't tell what it is, and it really bugs me…could you, please, tell me what's wrong?'

Megumi had seen this coming. She took in a deep breath and smiled gently at Sano. 'Okay, I'm gonna tell you the truth, alright?' she said…after all, there was no other way to explain this to Sano. 'But you have to promise me not to panic.'

Sano nodded. Megumi felt so calm and collected now. After her moment of hysteria out there in the corridor, she came to realize that panicking wouldn't do her…or Sano…any good. Dr. Morgan was right; if she were to help Sano, she had to be strong…for both of them.

'Okay, Sanosuke…when you got involved in that accident, you got a pretty hard bump on your head, and you were knocked out,' she told him. 'But it turns out that the bump did more damage than just knocking you out…it made you get amnesia…do you know what that is?'

Sano nodded again. 'But, Miss Takani! I can't have amnesia! I can remember stuff! I can remember you, can't I? So how can I possibly have amnesia?'

Megumi sighed. 'The thing is…Sano, you are not nine years old…you are, in fact, twenty one years old, and the bump made your mind go back to the time when you were still nine,' she explained, hoping that this would make sense to him. Sano just stared blankly at her. 'Oh, Sano, I know it must be hard for you to believe me, but think about it…how else is it possible that you have this body and not the body of a nine-year-old?'

Sano didn't say anything; Megumi could tell that he was thinking about what she had just told him. She saw him gripping his sheets tightly and she reached out and put her hand on his. She smiled at him. Sano then looked at her with tearful eyes.

'I'm scared,' he choked. 'I'm really scared, Miss Takani.'

'Oh, Sanosuke,' she said softly. She got up and put her arms around him and Sano buried his face in her shoulder and started to cry. 'Don't be scared…I'm right here, I haven't gone anywhere…and I'm going to be always here to help you…I promise I won't leave you until you remember everything.'

-

'He's sleeping now.'

Megumi gently closed the door to the ICU and turned to face Kenshin and Kaoru. Kaoru's eyes were blood-shot and red-rimmed, and she was holding on to Kenshin, who in contrast to Kaoru, looked extremely pale.

'So what happens now?' Kaoru said anxiously. 'Does Sano get his memory back?'

'I really can't give you a medical answer to that,' Megumi told her. 'But if you want my opinion…I'd say he is going to get it back…because when I look at Sano, I want to believe that this is just a temporary case and it will soon go away…I want to believe that he isn't really lost forever.'

'Megumi-sensei,' Kenshin said. This was the first time he had spoken ever since he found out that Sano had lost his memory. 'Why is it that Sano can remember you? I mean, I understand why he isn't able to remember _me, _since I only met him in my first year in high school…but why you?'

'I don't suppose you know about this, but…I babysat for Sano when he was only barely nine years old,' she told them. 'And since Sano has gone back to when he was nine, so…'

'You were his babysitter?' Kaoru said incredulously.

'No, not his babysitter…I mean, I only did it once…but I guess, Sano and I really bonded that night,' she said, smiling at the memory.

'But this is perfect!' Kaoru exclaimed. Megumi stared blankly at her. 'We were talking with Dr. Morgan while you were in there with Sano, and he was telling us that he couldn't possibly keep Sano in the ICU till he gets his memory back, and that he'll have to be sent home, and since Sano's father is dead, he suggested that we hire him a babysitter or something…and since you were his babysitter when he was a kid and Sano actually _remembers _you…you'd be the perfect one for the job!'

'Wait, hold on a second…' Megumi cried. 'You want me to stay with Sano at his place?'

'Yes! Don't you see? That's the ideal solution!' Kaoru exclaimed. 'We'll tell Sano that his dad is away on a business trip and that he hired you to take care of him while he was away…and this way, you'll be able to take care of Sano since he can't possibly take care of himself on his own _and _you'll be able to help him remember!'

'But…but…' Megumi stuttered. The thought of living with Sano was just too over-whelming. She knew it was the nine-year-old Sano they were talking about, but that didn't hide the fact that he still had the body of the older Sano!

'Please say yes, Megumi-sensei,' Kenshin pleaded. 'I would've taken up the job myself…but I just can't bear to have Sano not remember me when we've been best mates for six years…it hurts so much.'

'And besides, the doctor said that being around Sano would make him feel like he was forced to remember, and that would do him more good than bad,' Kaoru chipped in.

Megumi could see Kaoru's point, and she could see how much it was hurting Kenshin already, and she understood why they wanted her to take the job.

_Dammit, this is going to be so difficult…_

-

'Sano, it's alright…you don't have to carry my bag for me…'

But Sano just took the suitcase out of her hands and carried up the steps to the front porch. 'It's no big deal, Miss Takani; the bag is not even that heavy!' he said laughing. He looked totally beside himself with happiness. When Megumi had told him that she was coming to stay with him, he had started yelling in delight, waking up half the people in the room, before Megumi finally told him to be quiet.

Megumi followed him up the steps as she dug the key Kaoru and Kenshin had given her out of her purse. She found it and unlocked the door. Sano rushed inside with the suitcase and she went in after him, closing the door behind her. She took a look around and felt a wave of mingled foreboding and excitement wash over her. Never before in her life had Megumi lived in a house so big. She had always wondered what it would be like to own such a house, but had never even come close to experiencing that luxury.

'Miss Takani, come! I'll lead you to your room!' Sano called to her, waving from the end of the corridor.

Megumi nodded and walked towards him. _This is going to be one in-te-res-ting visit…_

**-**

**A/N: Ah! I'm done! How was it? Pretty interesting, wasn't it? I am pretty sure that none of you expected such a turn in events! Oh, I'm so proud of myself! (laugh) Well, anyway, if you did like this chapter then…well, let's say reviews will be pretty much appreciated!**

_- S. N. B._


	7. Her Second Job

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hello! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait but I had exams and I absolutely couldn't write a thing! Two months of exams! Can you imagine that? Well, anyway, school's over now and so…no more long waits! YAY! Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story, okay? Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7:**

_Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

Megumi pulled the bed sheet over her head in order to block out the shrill beeping of her alarm clock, but it was no use. The beeping was particularly drilling a hole through her head. She blindly reached out for the clock.

She found it. 'Shut up already!' she snapped, slamming her hand down on the button. The alarm fell silent. Feeling disgruntled, she raised herself up in the bed. 'I hate mornings.'

'Really? Mornings happen to be my favorite time of day…why do hate them?'

'Well, because they basically tell me to get the hell out of…' Megumi said, and paused. She looked around and saw Sano lying on the bed next to her. 'EEEEEEK!' She grabbed her pillow and started whacking him with it. 'What the hell are you doing in my bed? Get out! _Out_!'

'But, Miss Takani!' Sano whined, blocking the pillow with his arms. 'I came to you at night and asked if I could sleep next to you because I was really scared…and you said yes!'

Holding the pillow tightly against her chest, Megumi blinked. She had just remembered that this was not the 21 year old Sano she was talking to. 'I…I did?' she said, confused. 'But…I don't even remember!'

'I swear I'm not making this up, Miss Takani! I had a nightmare and came to your room and I asked you if I could sleep next to you…and you said yes! Twice!' he said earnestly. He was looking really frantic now.

'Well…maybe I did,' Megumi agreed. She massaged her temples. 'But the thing is…Sanosuke, it's wrong for the two of us to sleep next to each other…I mean, I know you're a kid, but your body…um…it's just not right, okay?'

'I'm sorry, Miss Takani,' he murmured, his head bent.

Megumi smiled and ruffled his hair. 'It's okay…but don't do it again, alright?' she said, and he nodded vigorously. He was smiling again. 'Now go freshen up a bit so we can have breakfast together, okay?'

'Okay!' he said happily. He scrambled out of the bed and hurried out of the room.

Megumi didn't get out of bed. She just couldn't seem to relax her grip on the pillow. Even though she knew that this wasn't really the Sano she had fallen in love with, that didn't change the fact that he still had his body…and to have him sleeping next to her on the bed. Megumi's face flushed red with embarrassment as she tried to imagine what she might've possibly acted in bed last night. She hoped against hope that she hadn't held him or something. Sighing in exasperation, she climbed out of the bed, pulled on her robe and shuffled in her bare feet to the bath room. She studied her image in the bathroom's mirror.

'Don't I look absolutely peachy?' she mumbled as she scowled at her messed up hair and at the creases which covered her hair. Muttering under her breath, she grabbed her tooth brush and paste…and stuck the brush in her mouth. She was almost about done when Sano burst into the room.

'S-sanosuke, what's wrong?' she said, her voice muffled due to the all the foam in her mouth.

'Miss Takani! It's eight thirty now!' he cried frantically. 'I'm late for school!'

'Wha…?' she said. _This was going to be a long day…_

-

Sano stirred the contents of his cereal bowl with his spoon for a while, before looking up at Megumi, who was sitting across from him at the table, drinking coffee as she read the morning paper. 'So…I don't have to go to school?' Sanosuke asked doubtfully.

Megumi laughed and put down her paper. 'Of course not,' she assured him. 'You're not really a nine-year-old, remember? You're actually twenty one…and people of your age do not go to junior school.'

'So…where do I go, then?' he asked. 'University?'

'Yeah, that's where big boys like you go,' she told him.

Sano became excited all of a sudden. 'So, you mean, I can go to University? Can I go now? Can you come with me? Which University do you go to?' he asked her all this in a rush.

'Whoa, easy!' Megumi exclaimed, holding up her hands as if to ward him off. 'First of all, no…you can't go to your university at the moment because the things they teach there will be too difficult for your understanding and you'll end wasting your time there…or maybe worse…second, even if you could go, I wouldn't be able to come with you because my university is different than yours…and more importantly, I don't go there anymore because I'm working at the moment, remember?'

'Yeah!' he exclaimed. He smacked his forehead. 'You became a doctor, right! How could I forget? But…what kind of doctor did you become?'

'Why don't you go ahead and make a guess?' she asked him.

'Did you become…a children's doctor?' he asked slowly. Megumi smiled and nodded. Sano's face immediately lit up. 'Really? That's great! So, this means, if I get sick you'll be able to treat me?'

Megumi cocked her head to one side. It was true that he was a kid at heart, but his body was that of an adult. 'I really don't know if I could…' she murmured, and Sano's face slightly drooped. '…but I'll try my best, so don't you worry!' Sano beamed. 'Now, how about I finish my coffee so we can go to work?'

Sano's eyes were as wide as tea saucers. 'I can come along?' he gasped.

'You sure can!' she assured him. 'You didn't think I was going to leave you here all by yourself, did you? Now finish your cereal…you don't want me to be late, do you?'

Sano shook his head before starting to gulp down his cereal. Megumi smiled.

-

'Okay, here, I wrote down a prescription and you can take it to the hospital's pharmacy. You'll be able to find the medicine there.'

'Yes, thank you, Dr. Takani.'

'It was my pleasure. Take care of yourself, Jimmy!'

Smiling, Megumi waved the father and his son out of the room. She picked up her notepad and jotted down some notes about the case she had just dealt with. She left the examination room. She looked down the corridor and spotted Sanosuke, sitting on a chair outside some room. Amused, she watched as the nurse standing next to him flirted with him. Sano looked really embarrassed. He wasn't even looking at the nurse, and only responded to her by shaking or nodding his head. Finally, she decided it was too much for him and headed to his rescue.

'There you are, Sanosuke!' she exclaimed, causing both the nurse and Sano to look around. Sano jumped at her sight, looking absolutely relieved. 'I was looking for you.'

The nurse was watching them closely. 'A friend of yours, Dr. Takani?' she asked casually.

'Yes, Sano is a really good friend of mine,' Megumi replied, smiling. 'Now, if you'll excuse us, Kim, I promised Sano I'll have lunch with him today.'

She offered the nurse a small wave, then she grabbed Sano's hand and dragged him down the corridor. When they were a good distance away from her, Megumi burst out laughing.

'It's not funny, Miss Takani!' Sano protested. 'That woman was creeping me out! Why was she talking to me like that?'

'Well, maybe you haven't taken a good look at yourself in the mirror, Sanosuke, but you are quite good-looking,' she told him. 'She was talking to you like that because she liked the way you looked, you know?'

'Did that happen with me all the time…I mean, before I lost…my memory?' Sano said quietly. It seemed to really bug him that he wasn't able to remember anything.

Megumi squeezed his arm affectionately. 'Of course! I mean, I don't know for sure, but I don't think any girl would be able to take a look at you and not at least say that you're cute or something.'

Sano blushed. 'Um…and what about you, Miss Takani?' he asked softly. 'What did you think when you first saw me?'

Megumi blinked. 'Uh…me?' she replied. 'I…of course I thought you were good-looking…I'd be lying to myself if I said otherwise.'

Sano smiled. 'Thank you,' he murmured. 'Um…I think you're really pretty, too, Miss Takani.'

It was Megumi's turn to blush now. She looked up at him. 'Thank you, Sanosuke, that's very sweet of you to say,' she said. She realized she was staring and looked away. 'Um…we've reached the cafeteria.'

'Let me get the door for you,' Sano offered. He hurried to the hospital's cafeteria's door and held the door open for her.

Megumi raised her eyebrows slightly. 'Why…aren't you the perfect gentleman!' she said, bemused. Sano blushed again. Megumi walked in through the open door. 'Thank you.'

Sano nodded his head and went in after her. They found themselves a table and moments later the waiter brought them both menus. Megumi studied her menu carefully, while Sano went quickly over his. Finally, Megumi put her menu down.

'Okay, so what shall you order, Sano?' she asked.

Sano hesitated for a moment. 'Um…don't they have burgers here or something?' he asked timidly.

'Oh, did you want burgers for lunch today?' she asked him, and he nodded. 'Well…we can fix that. I'm afraid the burgers they serve here aren't that good…but tell you what? There's a very good fast food restaurant next to the hospital…why don't we go there?'

'Really?' he said. 'But I don't want to trouble you, Miss Takani…'

'No, it's no trouble at all,' she assured him. She got up from her chair. 'Okay, let's get going before my lunch break is over.'

'Okay!' he exclaimed happily.

They got up and left the restaurant together. Megumi took Sano's hand in hers and led him down the corridor and to the exit. Sano was silent the whole time, but she could still feel his eyes on the back of her head. She wondered what was going on inside his mind at the moment. Was he wondering about her? Was he wondering about _them_? Megumi looked around at him and caught him staring. He flushed a deep shade of red and looked away guiltily. Megumi smiled.

'Hey, we got to the restaurant,' she told him after a while. They went into the restaurant and headed to the counter. 'You can order anything you like…as for myself, I'll have a beef burger.'

'Really? That's what I was going to choose! It's my favorite!' he exclaimed.

Megumi smiled at him. 'Alright then,' she said, and turned to the waiter behind the counter. 'Can we have two beef burgers, please?'

'Will you eat here or do you want it as take-away?' the waiter asked.

'We'll eat here…is that okay with you, Sano?' she asked him, and he nodded.

'Okay…that will be…nine dollars in total,' the waiter informed her.

Megumi started to pull her purse out of her pocket. 'Okay…just a second, let me just…' she said.

'Here you go,' Sano suddenly said, and Megumi looked up to see him handing the man a ten dollar bill.

'No! Sano, you don't have to pay, it's okay; I'll pay for both of us!' she said quickly. She couldn't have a nine-year-old pay for her lunch…that wasn't right!

'But I want to pay for this lunch, Miss Takani,' he replied. 'I want do something for you…paying for your lunch is the least I can do.'

'Here's your change,' said the waiter.

Sano took the change from him and turned to Megumi. 'Shall we go find a table now?' he asked her.

Megumi couldn't help but feel that she was slowly getting the old Sano back.

-

'Well, we had fun today, didn't we?'

'Yup!'

Megumi smiled as she took off her coat and hung it on the wooden peg next to the door. It was nine o'clock now and they had just returned home. It had been a good day. Sano had been exceptionally sweet the whole time; everyone at the hospital loved him. Of course, Megumi had explained his condition to anyone to save him from another run in with a young nurse.

'Well, you don't mind if I go take a shower now, do you?' she asked.

'No, of course not,' he replied, shaking his head. 'I'll just watch some TV until you finish.'

'Right…and when I'm done we'll have dinner together, okay?' she said.

'Okay!' he agreed.

'I promise I won't take long!' she told him, before turning on her heels and heading for the staircase.

She went up to her room, slipped her clothes off of her and went into the bathroom. She turned the hot water on and got into the tub. It felt so good to just sit there in the water and wash off all the day's work. She would've stayed in the tub a lot longer if it weren't for a nine-year-old Sanosuke sitting down in the living room waiting for her, and she didn't like to keep him waiting.

She got out of the tub and dried herself. She put on her PJs, ran a comb quickly through her hair and left the room. She headed downstairs.

'Sano!' she called. 'Sanosuke, I'm done showering!'

To her surprise, he didn't answer her calls. Frowning, she headed to the living room. She popped her hand inside. 'Sano, listen to this, maybe we should order…' she started, but stopped when she realized Sano wasn't there. 'Sano?'

Frowning, she looked down the corridor. 'Sano?' she said. That's when she noticed the light coming out of one of the open doors down the corridor. 'Sanosuke, are you there?'

She headed catiously towards the room. She got to the room and looked inside. She gasped. There, propped up against the wall opposite the door, was a mini shrine…for Sano's dad. But what made her gasp was the fact that Sano was kneeling there in front of the shrine…he was kneeling there when he wasn't even supposed to know that his father was dead. He was supposed to think that his father was away on a business trip.

'Sano…' she said softly.

'There was nothing on the TV…all the cartoon channels were gone…so I decided to check out the rooms in the house…and I found this room,' Sano choked. He turned to look at Megumi with a tear-stained face. 'Why didn't you tell me my father was dead?'

'Oh, Sano! I didn't want to make you feel upset! I'm sorry!' she cried, hurrying to his side. She wrapped her arms around him. 'I'm sorry…I didn't mean to hide it from you…I'm so sorry, Sano…'

'You lied to me,' he choked.

'No, Sano, I didn't lie to you, please don't say that...I just didn't want you to get hurt,' she said, pleadingly. 'Sano…please stop crying…please…it hurts me to see you crying…'

'My father's dead,' he sobbed.

'Sano, look at me,' she said softly. She cupped his face between her hands and turned him towards her. 'Listen to me…I know your father's dead and I'm sorry about that…but you're a big boy; you shouldn't cry…'

'But…' he choked.

Megumi wiped his tears away from his face. 'I know, Sano, it must hurt like anything; I know because I, too, lost my family,' she whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. 'But what you should know is that…no matter what happens…you have to know that I will always be there for you…I will always be by your side…you don't have to worry about being alone…I won't leave you…because I…I really love you, Sanosuke.'

**-**

**A/N: There! I'm done! Wasn't it sweet? Well, anyway, I don't feel like writing a note so will you please just review? Wait for my next chappie!**

_- S. N. B. _


	8. Panic

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…or any other anime, to be exact. **

**Well, hello! I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update, but there was something wrong with my account and I couldn't upload anything, even though I've finished writing this chapter ages ago! Well, anyway, I want to thank you all for the nice reviews that you've sent me, and…I'll just shut up and let you get on with the chappie, okay? **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8:**

Photo frames. Lots of them. Megumi watched silently as Sano ran his finger tips over the people within the frames. Sano's expression was that of deep pain. In the last three days, she had managed to take his mind off the fact that his father was dead…but he had found another thing to wallow about. There were just too many people in the photos…people he was supposed to remember, but was just not able to…and that really hurt him. He lingered over two people, studied them for a moment, and then turned around to look at Megumi.

'Miss Takani, those two…' he said, and Megumi went over to the mantle-piece to have a closer look. She studied the red-haired man and the raven-haired woman in the photo. '…they were at the hospital…both of them. I can't remember who they are, though…'

Megumi put an arm around him and pointed to the man. 'Well, this man here is called Kenshin,' she told him. 'And this girl is called Kaoru. They're both engaged now.'

'Yes…but how do I know them? What are they to me?' he asked. 'They both seemed really upset when I saw them at the hospital…so, they must be really close to me, right?'

Megumi smiled. 'Actually, yes…they are your best friends,' she told him. 'But you don't have to beat yourself up because you're not able to remember them or any of the others…none of them blame you for anything. You'll remember everything in good time, I'll make sure you do.'

'Really?' he said in a small voice.

'Yes, really,' she assured him.

Sano looked back at the photos. 'I really want to remember everything,' he said quietly. 'There are many things in this house that I just don't remember owning…and I try so hard to remember, but I can't…and when that happens, I feel so empty and lost…and I want someone to help me find my way out…it's all so dark and…'

He stopped when Megumi took his hand in hers. 'If I hold your hand, does it help?' she asked, and he slowly nodded. 'You know what I think, Sanosuke? I think that you are really starting to remember stuff…you're slowly returning back to your old self…you don't have to worry about it because I'm gonna be right here to help you find your way, okay?'

Sano smiled. 'Okay,' he said softly.

'Good!' she said. 'Okay, so where do you want to go? I didn't take the day off work for nothing, you know. Well, any ideas?'

-

'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!'

Sano laughed. 'Miss Takani, you scream funny!' he said.

Megumi rounded on Sano, all the while clutching on to the safety bar before her. 'I scream funny? I _scream _funny?' she repeated, shrilly. 'Sano, don't tell me you're having fun!'

'I am!' he said happily. 'I always wanted to try the roller coaster, but they wouldn't let me on it because I'm still a kid! I'm really happy!'

'But what's so amazing about roller coasters?' Megumi demanded. So far, the only thing she had accomplished on this ride and from the time they got into this amusement park, was making a complete fool out of herself in front of Sano. 'It's really…EEEEEEEEEEEK!'

Involuntarily, Megumi let go of her safety bar and threw her arms around Sano's neck as the track wound into a circle. She clung on tightly, burying her face in his chest. It was only after they had passed the circular track that she came back to her senses and quickly withdrew her arms. Clutching the safety bar again, Megumi took a quick glance at Sano, and saw that his face had turned a deep shade of red…and she thought things couldn't get worse. She was extremely thankful when she got out of the train.

'I'm sorry I jumped on you like that,' she murmured as they walked away from the roller coaster. 'I didn't really do it on purpose…I was just really scared.'

Sano nodded. He remained silent for a moment before he said anything. 'Did it help? Holding me, did it make you feel less scared?' he asked. Megumi mouthed wordlessly for a moment before nodding her head. Sano smiled. 'Then…I'm glad I was able to help.'

Megumi gazed openly at him, before finally offering him a warm smile. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. 'You're absolutely adorable, do you know that?' she said softly.

Sano's cheeks were tinged with pink. He looked shyly at her. 'Really?' he asked.

Megumi nodded. 'Of course you are,' she assured him. She tugged at his hand. 'Hey, let's take a walk around the park, shall we?'

Megumi bought them both a corn dog and they started walking around in the amusement park. Sano remained silent most of the time, munching on his corn dog while they walked. Megumi looked up worriedly at him. Before finding out that his father was really dead, he had been so cheerful…dealing with him had been so much easier, and Megumi had felt that he would be able to get back his memory in no time. But now, and even though Sano was desperate to get his memory back, she was seeing no progress in him. It seemed as if the act of trying to force himself to remember had caused his memory to be buried deeper inside his mind.

'Hey,' she said softly. 'What are you thinking?'

'Nothing,' he said quickly.

'Don't give me that,' she chided him. 'I know there's something weighing down on your mind. Now, what did we agree upon, Sanosuke? You're supposed to tell me everything…or else I won't be able to help you.'

Sano sighed. 'Alright,' he said. 'I was just thinking that dad would have been able to help me a lot if he were still alive…he probably knows me the best, so he would've been able to help me get back my memory.'

'Sano…' she said softly. 'It can't be helped…what's done is done…you can't change the past…'

'No! You don't understand!' he cried. 'It's my fault dad died!'

Megumi frowned at him. 'What do you mean? How can it be your fault?' she asked him.

Sano's eyes had become glazed over, and he was starting to rant. 'If it weren't for me and my stupid basketball game, dad wouldn't have had to hurry to get to school, and his car wouldn't have crashed then!' he cried, tears streaming down his face. 'It's my fault dad died! My fault!'

Megumi touched his shoulder. 'Sano…how do you know that?' she asked quietly.

Sano blinked. 'Huh?' he said.

'How do you know that that's how your father died?' she asked him.

Sano looked confused. 'I…I don't know…it just came to me,' he murmured. 'Is it right, though? Is that how dad died? Is it really…my fault?'

'No, Sano, don't go blaming yourself for your father's death, okay?' she said sternly. 'But I think I should call Kenshin and ask him if that's really how he died…if it's true, then it means…'

'…that it's my fault,' Sano said in a hollow tone.

'No, stop saying that! Actually, it would mean that you're getting your memory back…so it's a good thing, see?' she said, offering him a little smile. She reached into her handbag. 'Okay…now where's my phone? Oh…there it is. Don't go anywhere, Sano, I just need to make this phone call, okay?'

Sano nodded.

Megumi squeezed his hand gently before slipping away and walking a little distance away from him so she could talk to Kenshin in private. She dialed the number and held the phone to her ear. She tutted impatiently while she waited for him to pick up.

'Hello?' came his voice on the other line as he finally picked up.

'Hello, Kenshin…it's me,' she said.

'Oh, Megumi-sensei! Hello!' he exclaimed, and she was able to hear Kaoru's voice in the background saying, 'Oh, it's Megumi?'

'Yes, hi…listen, Kenshin, I need to ask you a question,' she said quickly. 'Do you know how Sano's father died?'

'Well…he died in a car crash…I already told you that before,' he answered.

'Yes, I know,' she said impatiently. 'What I want to know is _how _he died? What happened so as to make his car crash? Was he in a hurry to get to some event? Say, his son's basketball game?'

'Yes, actually…that's what happened,' Kenshin said slowly. 'But, Megumi-sensei, how do you know about that? I don't recall any of us telling you anything about…'

'Sanosuke told me!' she said breathlessly. 'He actually came and told me that if it weren't for the basketball game his dad wouldn't have hurried and his car wouldn't have crashed! He actually remembered something about his past! Sano…'

Megumi looked around so that she could beckon Sano to come to her side. She froze, however, when she saw that Sano wasn't there. She looked frantically around in all directions, but there was no trace of him left.

'Megumi-sensei! Megumi-sensei, what's the matter? Did something happen? Is Sano okay?' Kenshin demanded, sounding alarmed.

'Kenshin…I'll call you back later, alright?' Megumi said quickly. 'I have to go now.'

'Wait, Megumi-sensei…!' Kenshin cried, but she hung up anyway.

Megumi stuffed the phone back in her handbag and looked around from Sanosuke. She was starting to panic; it was true that Sano looked like an adult, but he was a kid on the inside…and if he got lost…Megumi just hated to imagine how the situation would be.

'Sano!' she called out, and she looked around wildly for him. 'Sanosuke! Where are you? Where'd you go, Sano? If you're playing hide and seek, then I suggest you come out now because this really isn't funny!' No reply. 'Sano!'

She went back down the path the had taken, looking around for him and calling his name, but she received no reply, and couldn't see any sign of him around either. Spotting a security guard in a distance, Megumi bit down on her lip.

'I guess I should do what's normal in such situations,' she muttered to herself. She hurried forward to the guard. 'Excuse me, sir! I'm looking for a boy…'

-

Holding the phone in one hand, Megumi paced around the living room in circles while she chewed on the fingernails of her free hand. Having had no luck in finding Sanosuke at the amusement park even with the help of the park's security guards, she was told to return home and wait for their call. Megumi had protested then, but they told her that Sano was obviously wasn't in the park, especially since they hadn't left a single spot in the park that they didn't search, so they were going to have to contact the police stations, and that there was nothing she could do but sit at home and wait for Sano's return. It was only when they told her that she had better be home in case Sano returned to the house instead of the park, that she finally agreed to go.

It had been a hour since she got back home and no one had called her yet. However, Kenshin did call her half an hour ago, and had insisted that he come over after she had told him what happened…but she turned him down.

'Kenshin, I understand how you feel, but there's honestly nothing you can do,' she had told him. 'And, anyway, I'd rather not have Sano find you here if he does return home…he gets depressed just by looking at your picture, so think how he must feel if he met you in person…'

Kenshin sounded seriously upset when she hung up with him.

She paused by the window. It was raining outside. It had started raining minutes after she entered the house. She felt really worried about Sano…all alone and with no shelter from the rain. She imagined he must be really frightened…and her heart went out for him.

Sighing, Megumi sank down on a couch and put her head between her hands. It was all she could do to stop herself from crying. When she had been searching for Sano in the park, she didn't have the time to sit and mourn his loss…but now, all alone in this big house, she realized how much she'd miss him if he really left…and to think that she wanted to break up with him. Tears welled in her eyes. The break up. It was the thing that caused all this in the first place…if she hadn't gone and broken up with Sano…none of this would've happened.

And then she was crying. Thick tears rolled down her cheeks and her shoulders shook as she sobbed. 'Sano…please come back…please,' she choked.

She didn't know how long she sat there crying…she only stopped when the doorbell rang. Jumping to her feet, Megumi quickly dried off her tears with the sleeve of her t-shirt and hurried to get the door, hoping against hope that she would find Sano at the door. She didn't care about the state he came back in, she just wanted him back. She threw the door open, and sure enough…there was Sano.

He stood there, drenched in water from head to toe. His hair lay down and was dripping with water. His eyes were bloodshot…and if it weren't for the rain, Megumi would've been positive that Sano had been crying. He stumbled across the doorstep and his weight fell over Megumi, who wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him close to her. Water seeped through the fabric of her shirt, but she didn't care. It just felt so good to be able to hold him again.

Sano, on his side, bent his head down and started sobbing into her shoulder. His hands clutched desperately to the back of her shirt as he cried. Megumi rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him, but this warm gesture caused him to cry even more. Feeling over-whelmed, Megumi started to cry as well.

'Don't ever do that again,' she choked. 'Don't you ever leave me again, okay?'

'I'm…sorry,' he sobbed.

Megumi held him more tightly. 'Do you know how worried I was?' she chided him. 'Do you know how scared I felt when I thought that something bad might've happened to you? I was never this scared before in my whole life, Sano…not even when my parents died…'

'I'm really sorry, Miss Takani,' Sano choked.

'Where did you go?' she asked him. 'Where'd you run off to?'

Silence.

Megumi pulled away for a moment and looked up into his face, which bore an unreadable expression. 'Sano?' she prompted him.

'I…I went to the graveyard to visit dad,' he finally whispered. Megumi gasped. 'I didn't know which graveyard he buried in…there were two graveyards…I searched them both…it was raining and it was dark in there…I was really scared…'

'Sano…' Megumi murmured, feeling horrified.

Tears were streaming down Sano's cheeks. 'I read the names on all the tomb stones…there were too many,' he went on. 'I couldn't find him in the first graveyard…so I searched in the second one…I should've gone there first, because that's where mom is buried…I found my dad's grave there…right next to my mom's…both of them…dead…'

Feeling her own tears rolling down her cheeks, Megumi pulled him down to her. She kissed him on the forehead and rested his head on her shoulder. She hugged him. Sano was crying a lot now…Megumi wished she could cease his tears, but she couldn't…not when she was crying herself.

-

'Hey…'

Megumi stood in the doorway to Sano's bedroom, hands tucked inside the pockets of her pajamas. Sano was lying in his bed now, propped up against his pillows. Megumi had gotten him to take a warm bath, drink some hot cocoa and get into bed.

'Hello,' he said softly.

Megumi smiled and walked towards him. She sat down on the edge of his bed and reached out and squeezed his hand, which was lying on the bed sheets. 'How are you feeling now?' she asked him.

'Better, I guess,' he replied.

Megumi smiled. 'That's good,' she said, nodding her head. 'I told you the bath and cocoa would do you good…they've always worked for me.'

Sano nodded. 'Thank you, Miss Takani,' he murmured.

'It's alright…no biggie…at least you didn't get a cold,' she told him. She paused for a moment. 'So…are you going to tell me?'

'Huh?' he said, confused. 'Tell you what?'

'Tell me why you went to your father's grave?' she asked. Sano bent his head down. 'Sano?'

'I…I wanted to tell him I was sorry,' Sano whispered.

'Sorry?' Megumi repeated. 'What for?'

'My dad died because of me…and I wanted to apologize for that…' he said. '…I know apologizing probably won't bring him back…but I assumed I'd feel better if I did…'

'And did you feel better?' Megumi asked. Sano shook his head. Megumi sighed. 'Sano, what did I tell you? It is not your fault your father died…these things just happen and there's nothing you can do to change them because it's fate…as cruel as it may sound, but if your dad hadn't died in a car crash he would've probably died of some other reason…do you understand me, Sanosuke?'

'Yeah…I think so,' he murmured. 'So…it's not my fault dad died?'

Megumi shook her head. 'We all tend to think that it's our fault someone died, but that's not true at all,' she explained. 'Humans cannot control death…only God can…that's why when we go to church we pray to God to make us live longer…and if He doesn't, then we pray for Him to let us go into Heaven when we die…'

Sano was silent for a moment. It seemed to Megumi as if he was processing this information in his mind. He looked up and smiled at her. 'Yeah…thank you, Miss Takani!' he said.

Megumi smiled back at him and ruffled his hair, causing him to whine in protest. 'You're more than welcome,' she said, laughing. 'Now go off to sleep.'

Sano stopped her before she could leave. 'Miss Takani?' he said, blushing faintly. 'Um…could you kiss me goodnight?'

Megumi was taken by surprise; she certainly didn't see that coming. 'Well…sure, Sanosuke,' she agreed. She leaned forward to kiss him. Megumi flushed as she realized where she was headed, and turned sideways to kiss him on his cheek instead of his lips. 'Good night, Sano…'

'Miss Takani?' he said shyly.

'Yeah?' she asked, trying to hide her blushing face; that had been close!

'Could you stay with me till I fall asleep?' he asked timidly.

Megumi smiled warmly. 'Of course I can,' she said softly. She pulled herself up on the bed next to him and patted her lap. 'Why don't you lay your head here?'

Sano was blushing slightly as he lay his head down on her lap. He curled himself up under the sheets and closed his eyes. 'Good night, Miss Takani,' he said softly.

Megumi gently stroked the hair off his forehead. 'Good night, Sanosuke,' she replied, watching him drift off into sleep. What she hadn't counted on was falling asleep next to him.

-

**A/N: Awwwwwwwwww! Ah…I feel so warm and fuzzy now! Seriously, I think the fluff in this chapter was absolutely overwhelming, ne? I mean, it wasn't sickeningly sweet or anything…it was just about right…right? Ahhh…I seriously feel warm and fuzzy now…I wish this Sano was real! Hehe…well, anyway, I worked hard on this chapter so I'm expecting reviews, alright? Wait for my next chappie! Oh, and it might take me a bit long to update next time because I'm going on vacation as of tomorrow! Yay! Wish me a safe flight!**

_- S. N. B._


	9. What makes me Love you

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hi! I'm back with a new chapter! Thank you all for the nice reviews; they made me really happy! Oh, and I'm having a nice time in my vacation so far, so I'm alright! Ah, well, anyway, I'll leave you to read the chapter now, okay? Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: **

_Dad…are you proud to have me a son?_

_I take pride in you every second of my life…_

…

_Sano, why are you asking? _

_No reason. Just checking!_

_Well, then, are you proud to have me as a father?_

…_I'm honored…_

-

'Excuse me…Megumi-sensei?'

Megumi looked up from a patient's medical chart she was examining. She smiled at her addresser. 'Ah…Kenshin!' she exclaimed. 'Hi!'

Megumi had to admit that Kenshin was looking a lot more pale and thin than the last time she had seen him. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he needed proper grooming. Megumi was almost absolutely sure that Sano was why Kenshin had become like this.

Kenshin smiled wearily. 'Hello,' he said, nodding his head. 'How are you doing, Miss Takani?'

'I'm alright,' she replied, putting down the chart. She frowned at him. 'You don't look so good, though, Kenshin…haven't you been getting enough sleep?'

Kenshin grinned sheepishly. 'Is it that obvious?' he asked quietly. Megumi nodded. 'Yeah, you're right; I haven't been getting enough sleep…I stay up thinking of Sano all night.'

'I assumed you might,' Megumi said, nodding her head.

'How is Sano, by the way?' he asked casually. 'I wanted to come check up on him yesterday, but you told me not to…so…'

'Yeah, sorry about that,' Megumi said, uttering a nervous laugh. 'But you should've seen Sano when he came back…he looked an utter mess. I truly think that seeing you would've devastated him. I'm really sorry. But, anyway, he's alright now, so you need not worry about him.'

Kenshin's face relaxed. 'Really,' he said softly. It was more of a statement than a question. He smiled at Megumi. 'That's good to hear. So, where is he now? Can I see him?'

'Yes, sure you can,' Megumi agreed. 'I bring him along with me to the hospital everyday…he's gotta be around here somewhere…you should find him wherever nurses are grouped.'

Kenshin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Nurses?' he repeated.

Megumi laughed. 'Yeah…um…Sano's very popular with the nurses,' she explained. 'They seem to find him absolutely adorable.'

'Adorable,' Kenshin repeated, his eyebrows still raised. 'Okay.'

Megumi chuckled. Even though she had told most of the hospital nurses and doctors about Sano's condition, it didn't seem to stop the female population from being attracted to Sano. She would stop and watch Sano getting mobbed by the females, who did a fair share of flirting, for a few moments, before going to his rescue. She just liked seeing him blush while they talked to him; he looked so adorable then. She led Kenshin towards where Sano might possibly be, and sure enough, there he was, standing in the middle of a group of nurses. While she giggled at the sight, Kenshin stared, with his mouth slightly open, at his friend. Sano was looking highly uncomfortable, and his face was a delicate shade of pink.

Finally, he clamped his mouth shut and turned to Megumi. 'Megumi-sensei, shouldn't we help him?' he said seriously. 'Sano's looking really freaked out in there!'

'Oh, alright,' Megumi wheezed. She marched up to the nurses and pushed her way through to the middle. She smiled at Sano, who looked thoroughly relieved to see her. 'Alright, girls…you can go now. Sano comes with me.'

There was a collection of groans and giggles and the nurses scattered away. Sano's shoulders slumped. 'Thank you, Miss Takani!' he breathed. 'I don't think I would've lasted another minute!'

'Just like high school, eh, Sano?'

Sano looked around at Kenshin, who had walked up towards them. 'Ah…Mr. Himura!' he exclaimed. 'Hi!'

Kenshin's smile was a pained one. 'You needn't call me _Mr. Himura_, Sanosuke…I'll just go by Kenshin, if you don't mind,' he told him.

Sano frowned. 'Er…are you sure?' he asked, uncertainly. Kenshin nodded. 'Okay…'

Kenshin smiled. 'Megumi-sensei tells me you're doing fine,' he said.

'Yup!' Sano admitted. 'I'm really happy! Miss Takani has been really nice to me! But…um, Kenshin? What did you mean when you said it's just like high school?'

'Back in high school, all the girls used to think you were really cute, and so they kept flocking around you, trying to get a date,' Kenshin told him. 'It's really a surprise that I ever got Kaoru for a girlfriend with you around.'

'Hehe…that popular, huh?' Megumi said.

'You can't imagine how popular Sano was,' Kenshin said. 'He was invited to all the parties, even when he was just a sophomore…he was the king of any prom, the head of any festival committee…and just like now, you only had to find the hugest crowd of girls to find Sano.'

Sano was listening with rapt attention, but Megumi just giggled. 'And what about you, Kenshin?' she asked. 'Where were you in this?'

'I was usually shunted sideways,' Kenshin said with a tragic sigh. 'But that was good, because if that didn't happen, I would've never met Kaoru…the first time I met her was when I was pushed out of the way by a couple of girls who wanted to get to Sano, and I crashed into Kaoru…'

'…and you both fell and you helped her up and picked up her book…typical meeting,' Megumi said, smiling and nodding her head. Kenshin grinned sheepishly. 'Alright, listen, how about I take a break and we go to the hospital's cafeteria for coffee or something?'

Both the guys nodded in agreement. Megumi led them to the cafeteria. They found a table, sat down and ordered. While they waited for their food to arrive, Megumi noticed that Sano was watching Kenshin intently. Seeing as none of them was taking the liberty of speaking, she cleared her throat.

'So…um…Kenshin, why don't you tell us something about Sano's past? I'm sure Sano would like it, wouldn't you, Sano?' she asked him, and Sano nodded vigorously.

'Sure…but, what exactly do you want me to tell you?' he asked.

'Well, anything which really stands out as a memory…something that you think would strike a chord in Sano's mind…trivial stuff,' Megumi said. 'That would be of great help to Sano, I'm sure.'

'Well…' Kenshin murmured, before lapsing into thought. Megumi was watching him as intently as Sano, eager to know something about his teenage life. '…alright, I think I got one. There was this time when Sano was practicing for a basketball game which was to be the next day. He was really worried about his performance and so he stayed there the whole night, practicing all by himself…when his teammates got to the gym they found him sleeping on the floor, surrounded by lots of balls.'

'And…what happened? Did I play well?' Sano asked anxiously.

Kenshin chuckled. 'We didn't get to see how you performed, seeing as you only woke up after the game was over,' he told him, and Megumi laughed. Sano's expression fell. 'But, your team won the game anyway! So it was alright!' he added hastily.

Megumi squeezed his shoulder. 'It's okay, Sano…I guess you probably never stayed up late before a game again,' she told him, and looked at Kenshin for confirmation; the later nodded. Megumi looked back at Sano, and noticed that his face was set in a deep frown; obviously this memory didn't ring any bells in his mind. 'So, Kenshin…anything else?'

'Yes, there's this one…I don't know how I didn't remember this before…' Kenshin said quietly. 'Sano and his dad had an argument about something, and Sano ran away from home. It was really late, and it was raining…Mr. Sagara was really worried. He called me that night to ask if Sano had dropped at my place, but Sano didn't. I called everyone else, but I couldn't locate him. In the end, Mr. Sagara started searching the streets himself. He found him in a dark alleyway, getting mugged by three or four thugs…Sano was really weak and couldn't defend himself; he was already beaten up when his father found him.'

Sano was gripping the fabric of his jeans so tightly his knuckles were becoming white. Megumi reached out and laid a hand on his. She smiled reassuringly at him. She mouthed a, "It's alright," at him.

'Mr. Sagara took all the men on, and he took Sano back home…he didn't yell at him or anything, he just treated his bruises and cuts and had him go to bed,' Kenshin went on. 'But Sano was crying that night…that's what I was told. He got up to his father's room and apologized to him, crying all the while. Mr. Sagara was really good about it…he didn't say anything; he just hugged him and let him cry…Sano told me this the next day, and he made a vow in front of me, telling me that he would never cross his father again.'

Sano was silent, hands still gripping his jeans and head bent. Megumi and Kenshin watched him warily. A waiter came and put their orders on the table, and Megumi offered him a distracted smile and nod, before turning to Sano again.

'Sano…' Kenshin said quietly. 'I'm sorry; maybe I shouldn't have told you about this…'

'No…' Sano said quietly. 'Thank you for telling me this, Kenshin…I'm really grateful…I don't want to forget what an amazing person my father is…even if he's not here anymore, I want to be reminded of how great he was. I don't want to pretend like he's not here anymore, I want to always feel that he's around me…watching over me…right, Miss Takani?'

Megumi had been listening, entranced, to him; not expecting to hear words so deep from a nine year old. She blinked when he talked to her. 'Yes, Sano…you're right,' she murmured, smiling warmly at him. 'We must not forget those who were good to us, or those we love…no matter what happens.'

'Yeah,' Sano said, smiling. 'Maybe that's why I didn't forget you, Miss Takani…because you've been so good to me…and because I love you so much.'

Megumi blushed. 'Th-thank you, Sano…that was so nice of you to say,' she said softly. Sano just smiled, and at that moment, Megumi realized just how much she loved that smile. 'But…let's not forget Kenshin, too…he obviously cares a lot about you…I mean, even though it's difficult for him to face you when you don't even remember him, but he still comes to check on you.'

Kenshin, who was watching the conversation with interest, was taken by surprise. 'Well, I…' he started, and broke off with a sheepish grin.

'Yes!' Sano said. 'Thank you so much, Kenshin! I'm really grateful…for everything.' Kenshin smiled. Sano looked down at his plate and grimaced. 'No syrup! How can you eat pancakes without syrup?' he exclaimed, and left the table to go get some syrup.

'Megumi-sensei…' Kenshin said softly, and Megumi looked around at him. 'It must be difficult for you, too.'

'Huh?' she said, confused.

'Because…you love Sano a lot…' Kenshin went on. '…and I don't mean the nine year old Sano…it must be difficult for you to hide your feelings from him…right?'

Megumi was silent.

Sano came back with the syrup and settled down on the chair next to Megumi. He started to pour the syrup over his pancakes, when he noticed that they were both silent. 'Er…is something wrong?' he asked.

Megumi smiled and shook her head. 'No, everything's fine,' she assured him.

-

_I vow never to do anything which displeases my dad. I'm always going to be a good son and I will do whatever he tells me to do._

_Aw, Sano! That's so sweet!_

_Thanks, Kaoru._

_And let your black eye be witness over this vow._

_That's not funny, Kenshin. _

-

Kaoru looked up as she heard the front door slam shut. Seconds later, Kenshin came into the living room. She smiled and waved at him. Kenshin smiled back and walked over to the couch she was lying on. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

'Hey, beautiful,' he said, softly.

'Hey,' she murmured.

Kenshin plopped down on the couch across from her, and started to pull off his shoes. 'So…I went to see Sano today,' he said casually.

Kaoru propped herself up on her elbows and watched him with interest. 'Yeah?' she said. 'And what happened?'

'Well, it went smoothly,' Kenshin replied, succeeding in pulling off one of his shoes. 'Sano seems really happy.'

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. 'Why do I have the feeling there's more to this than Sano being happy?' she demanded.

Kenshin smiled at her. 'Because there is,' he admitted. 'I saw Megumi-sensei today as well…she and Sano are quite a nice pair, you should see them together…it's really nice.'

Kaoru gave him an odd look. 'Nice?' she repeated.

Kenshin nodded. 'He still loves her, you know…even though he's back to being a nine year old; Sanosuke still loves Megumi-sensei…he told her so himself when we were having breakfast together,' he said quietly. 'But what's really interesting is that Megumi-sensei feels the same way towards him.'

Kaoru sat upright on the couch. 'Really?' she squealed with delight. 'She does?'

'Yeah,' Kenshin replied. 'Looks like Sano's dearest wish finally came true, eh? Remember how he was so picky in high school?'

Kaoru laughed. 'Yeah…he broke a lot of hearts back then…and in university too!' she wheezed. 'And only because he couldn't find that one girl who was a bit like Megumi…he was really too much! But…I think it's really cool to idolize one single person for such a long time…it makes one feel so special, doesn't it?'

'Yeah, it does,' Kenshin agreed. 'And it paid off…Sano didn't just find a girl who resembles Megumi-sensei; he found Megumi-sensei herself…and it also happens that she loves him as well.'

Kaoru sighed. 'If only Sano hadn't lost his memory…' she grumbled.

'Actually, I think it's for the better…as cruel as that may sound,' Kenshin said thoughtfully. Kaoru frowned at him. 'Megumi-sensei wasn't so sure about her feelings for Sano…but now, living with him, getting to know him better…she's realized how much he means to her.'

Kaoru smiled. 'You know…I hate it when you're right,' she said softly.

-

_Sano! Don't tell me you've gone and broken up with your girlfriend!_

_Okay, I won't._

_Sano, I'm serious! I saw her crying today in the girls' locker room!_

_Oh…she was?_

_Yes!_

_Well…okay, yeah…um…I did break up with her._

_But why, Sano? Why is it that the longest relationship you've ever had was just for two weeks?_

_Because…they're not like her…none of them are any bit like her…_

_Who?_

_Miss Takani…_

_Whoever she is, I don't think you should compare your girlfriends to her!_

_Kaoru, you don't understand. Miss Takani is…she's amazing!_

-

'Alright, we'll be needing some dough, sugar, chocolate chips…um…'

As she listed the ingredients, Megumi went through the kitchen cupboards searching for them. She had already bought some of them at the market before heading home from work, and was now cramming all the other ingredients on the kitchen table before Sano, who was watching her quite intently.

Megumi placed the sugar on the table and smiled at him. 'Do you like chocolate chip cookies, Sano?' she asked him.

'Yes!' Sano said happily. 'I love them! …can I help? I want to help you make the cookies!'

'Sure you can,' Megumi agreed. 'Alright…let's see if I can remember the recipe right…I think we need to mix…um…'

'We have to mix everything together!' Sano said cheerfully. Megumi shot him a questioning look. 'Dad and I used to bake cookies all the time! We didn't like the cookies they sell in the markets, so we used to make our own! It was fun!'

Megumi smiled. 'Really,' she said softly. 'Okay, then, could you fetch me a bowl so we could mix them?'

'Okay!' he said, sliding off the stool. He got up and got a huge bowl from one of the cabinets. He set in on the table. 'Can I mix them?'

'But…this is all about mixing! If I let you do that, then there would be nothing left for me to do!' she said.

Sano grinned. 'That's right!' he agreed. 'You just sit and watch and I'll bake the cookies!'

Megumi sighed. 'No, Sano…that's totally out of the question,' she replied. His expression drooped slightly. 'Okay, listen to this…how about we take turns in mixing the ingredients? Seems fair, doesn't it?'

They set about mixing the ingredients, then Megumi set down the mixture on the trays in small, equal circles before putting them in the oven. She and Sano stood back proudly before the oven to admire their handy work.

'Well…we did it!' she said. 'All we have to do now is wait for them to be properly baked.'

'Yes!' Sano agreed, happily. 'These are going to be the best cookies ever!'

While they waited for the cookies to be done, they set about tidying up the kitchen…or it was rather like, Sano was insisting that he do everything himself while Megumi sits and watches. In the end she gave up trying to argue with him and plopped down on a stool next to the counter.

'Miss Takani…' Sano said quietly, while he put away the sugar back in its place. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Sure you can, Sanosuke,' she replied. 'Anything.'

'Okay. Good. Um…before I lost my memory…' he murmured. For some reason, he sounded extremely flustered. '…you and I…I mean…what were we like?'

'Excuse me?' Megumi said, blinking. She understood the question perfectly well, but she wanted to make sure, just the same.

'Er…what kind of relationship did we have?'' he asked.

'Oh.' Megumi paused. What should she tell him? She couldn't possibly say that they had an affair which lasted for less than 24 hours because she dumped him. She hated to imagine Sano's reaction if she told him that…and besides, she really didn't think it was appropriate to tell him such things. 'Let's just say…you were a very special person to me.'

Sano perked up at once. 'Really?' he said, looking around at her.

Megumi smiled. 'Of course…and you still are very special to me,' she said.

'Um…well, did I ever annoy you? Did I ever do anything to hurt your feelings? Because if that did happen, then I apologize for whatever my stupid older self did to you!' he said, a bit heatedly.

Megumi laughed, but he, on the contrary, blinked. 'Oh, Sano! You're so adorable! Do you know that?' she wheezed. 'You're just too cute!'

Sano looked a bit discomfited. 'I am?' he said.

Megumi got up to her feet and walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 'Yes,' she said softly, holding on to him. 'I love you so much.'

Sano was silent. Megumi knew she should let go of him, but she just couldn't. Tears welled in her eyes. It was true…she did love him. She loved him a lot. Kenshin was right; it was difficult for her. It was too much to bear. The nine-year-old Sano is adorable and everything, but she wanted the older Sano back.

Finally, she let go. 'Sorry,' she murmured, looking away from him. She rubbed her eyes and smiled. 'Right! Let's check on those cookies, shall we?'

-

**A/N: I'm done! Yay! That was a good chappie, wasn't it? I'm so happy I finally got it done…I got stuck in lots of places! Let's see…one…no, two more chapters left and I'll be done! Oh, I can't wait! I'm gonna try and update as soon as possible…but you keep those reviews coming, alright?**

- _S. N. B._


	10. Remebrance

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.  
**

**Hello! I'm sorry it's taken me such a long while to update, but I didn't have internet access, and I was really busy so I didn't have much time to write anything, and even when I did finish, I had to go back and edit the chapter since it was too damn short! Well, anyway, these are my excuses, and this is the chapter. Enjoy!**

**Oh…and thank you SO much for all of your reviews! You've made me touch 200! I'm so happy!**

**Chapter 10:**

_Dad, I've decided what I want to be when I grow up!_

_Really? And that would be…? _

_A pedia…um…pedia…_

_Pediatrician?_

_Yes! I want to be a pediatrician!_

_Hmm…a pediatrician? Didn't you want to be a fire-fighter last week?_

_Well…yeah…_

_So what made you change your mind? _

_Miss Takani said she wanted to be a pediatrician…and I want to be just like her!_

-

'Yes, okay, I'll be there. Thanks for the call.'

With those words, Megumi put down the phone receiver. The University where she had studied had called her up and told her there are some papers she had to come and pick up from the office, and no; they couldn't send them to her by mail because they had to be signed…and she had to come pick them up today.

Sighing, she got up and poured herself some coffee out of the coffee machine, and went to fetch the morning paper from the doorstep. Just as she came back, Sano walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

Megumi smiled at him. 'Good morning, Sanosuke!' she said, cheerfully.

'Good morning, Miss Takani,' he said sleepily, and struggled to stifle a yawn. He plopped down on the chair before her. 'I slept late, didn't I? Why didn't you wake me up?'

'Well, you looked adorable while you were sleeping; I didn't have the heart to wake you up,' she said, and laughed when he blushed. 'No…seriously, I only woke up a little while ago, so I didn't have time to wake you up yet.'

'Oh,' he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. 'The phone woke me up, though.'

'That would be my fault, then…it was the University calling me; they want me to come by today and pick up some papers,' she told him. She paused for a moment. 'Do you want to come along? This might take a while and I don't want to leave you here by yourself.'

Sano's expression brightened. 'Really? I can?' he said happily.

'Yup!' she replied. 'Tell you what, let's go out and have breakfast, and then we'll take the subway train to the University…how does that sound?'

In a few minutes, they had both left the house. It took them a while to get dressed, because Sano had wanted to find the right outfit for going to University, saying that he didn't want to embarrass Megumi in front of her Professors. In the end he had ended up wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a v-necked, long-sleeved black t-shirt. They went to a small café around the corner, and sat outside at a table in the patio. They ordered and waited quietly to be served.

'Miss Takani…' Sano started, and Megumi looked up. '…I don't think I've ever told you this, but I'm really grateful you agreed to take care of me while I have amnesia…what I mean to say is, thank you.'  
Megumi smiled. 'Aw, Sano…it's only my pleasure,' she assured him. 'I'm really happy taking care of you…I think these last few days have been the best in my life, and for that…_I _should be the one to say thank you.'

'Really? So I'm not troubling you or tiring you or anything?' he asked anxiously, and she shook her head. Sano sighed in relief. 'Good…I was worried I might be.'

The waiter came and placed their orders before them. Megumi pulled her coffee mug and chocolate pie towards her, while Sano started to pour syrup over his pancakes; Megumi learned in the past few days that Sano was a real fan of pancakes, so she went and got the ingredients and the recipe as she was planning to make some for him soon…when she's learned not to burn them.

'Um…Miss Takani?' Sano said, after swallowing a bite. 'After I get my memory back…is it possible that you continue to live in the same house with me?'

Megumi's fork froze halfway to her mouth. 'Uh…live with you?' she said, awkwardly. She put back her fork on the plate." 'I don't know about that, Sano…I mean, I'm not even related to you…it…it would be an inappropriate for me to live in the same house with you…um, you understand me, right?'

Sano was quiet for a moment, and Megumi watched him anxiously, then he looked up and smiled…but it was a bit of a troubled smile. 'Yes, I understand…I'm sorry for troubling you,' he said politely.

Megumi ate a bit of her pie before speaking up again. 'Sano…you do realize that when you get your memory back, you probably won't remember any of this?' she said quietly.

Sano looked appalled. 'I won't?' he said.

Megumi shook her hand. 'I mean…I'm not sure, you most probably won't, but…' she said, and let her words trail off.

'If that's so, then I don't want to remember! I'd rather have amnesia than forget all those nice times I've shared with you!' he said with a bit of an edge to his voice. 'I don't want to forget!'

It was Megumi's turn to look appalled now. 'Oh, come on, Sanosuke…you don't mean that,' she said. 'Be reasonable…you can't trade a life time of memories for just a few days' memories!'

'But they are really special memories!' Sano insisted.

'But, Sano…what about your other memories? What about memories of your father? Don't you want to remember them? Don't you want to remember Kenshin and Kaoru? Don't you want to remember the memories _we_ shared before you got amnesia?' she asked in a rush. 'Don't you?'

Sano looked doubtfully at her. 'Are they…special memories?' he asked.

'Yes, Sano, they are special…I promise,' she assured him. 'And besides, don't you think I'll be there to tell you about the many things we did together after you get your memory back?'

Sano looked positively delighted.

-

_Sano…um…a girl told me to give you her number…here you go._

_Thanks. _

…_you can't just throw it in the bin! Why don't you call her?_

_I'm not interested. _

_Sheesh! You're ungrateful, aren't you? This is the first day in University and a girl tells **me **to give **you** her number…do you realize how special that makes me feel?_

_Sorry, mate. But there's only one girl for me, and she's out there…I know she is. _

_That's great, Sano. But when did you become a drama queen? _

_Ha ha ha. Very funny, Kenshin. _

-

'Two tickets, please.'

Megumi paid for their tickets, and the clerk handed them to her, then she and Sano headed towards the platform to wait for their train. It came moments later, and they both boarded it. They looked around for empty seats, but when they found none, they stood by the door, and held on to a metal bar. As the train started to move, memories flashed through her memory, and a small smile touched her lips.

'You know, Sanosuke…the train is where we met again,' she told him.

'Again?' he asked, confused.

'Well…yes,' she replied. 'We weren't in contact all these past years, but when we met again, it was on a train such as this…I was heading to my graduation ceremony then, and you came along with me…and when the ceremony was over, you treated me to dinner…it was all really sweet.'

'Really? I did that?' he asked, and she nodded. 'So I'm not a bad grown-up after all!'

Megumi laughed. 'No! Of course you aren't! Did I ever say you are?' she said.

Sano shook his head. 'But…if we met on your graduation day, then that must mean that we only met…' he murmured, and paused to do some calculations. '…a month ago or so.'

Megumi hesitated. 'Um…yes,' she said, laughing nervously. 'Didn't I tell you that before?'

'No…you didn't,' he said quietly. 'We met only a month ago…and yet, you so willingly decided to take care of me while I have amnesia…why'd you do that? Why do you…care so much about me? I'm not special…I'm just a pathetic guy called Sano who thinks he's a nine year old…so why do you care about me, Miss Takani?'

Megumi felt overwhelmed. 'No, Sano! Don't say that about yourself!' she said, rather heatedly. 'You _are _special! You are amazing! I don't want you to ever think otherwise, you understand? I know you're special because…'

Suddenly, the train screeched to a halt, and everybody screamed as they lurched forward. Megumi managed to maintain a firm grip on the metal bar she had been holding on to, and didn't fall. But Sano was taken unaware, and he fell forward, slamming into the metal bar. Megumi cried out in fright when Sano slumped to the ground. She let go of the bar and dropped down to her knees next to him. She turned him over and rested his head in her lap. She could already see the ugly bruise forming on his forehead from where he hit his head.

'Sano…Sano…Oh, God, Sano, please be okay! Please be okay!' she cried frantically. She pushed the hair away from his forehead and looked up angrily at all the people who were starting to group around them. 'Move away! Give him space! He needs to breath!'

The group obediently moved back. Megumi looked down worriedly at Sano, at loss at what to do next. She mentally cursed herself for her inability to do something to help him…and after all these years of medical training too. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She looked around helplessly. What should she do? _What_ should she do?

Around her, people were already hauling themselves back onto their seats, and a voice was already speaking to them through the speakers in the train, "…we're really sorry for the inconvenience, but a technical error was discovered and the train had to stop immediately. Fixing the error will only take a little while, we promise. So, if you would please be patient and bear with the delay, we'd be thankful. And again, I apologize for the inconvenience."

Chewing her bottom lip nervously, she wiped the sweat off his brow. 'C'mon, Sanosuke, please wake up…please wake up, don't do this to me,' she pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. 'Wake up…please.'

She didn't know why she was being so emotional over this; it was just a case of unconsciousness, after all. But yet, she couldn't relax. She felt responsible for him, and she couldn't bear having anything hurt him or harm him. It made her feel really upset. Why did he have to make her worry so much about him? Of course, she knew it wasn't his fault, but still…she wanted him to wake up…

'Does anyone have a bottle of water?' she suddenly asked out aloud, and was quickly handed a bottle. Megumi unscrewed the lid and poured some in her hand. She splashed it on Sano's face. 'Come on, Sano! Wake up! We don't need a coma as well as amnesia! I can't deal with that! It's too much for me…please…'

As if on queue, Sano's eyelids suddenly fluttered open. His eyes were a bit glazed all over and unfocused, but Megumi didn't care; he was awake! Giddy with joy, she cried out happily and pulled him into her arms in a hug, holding him tightly.

'Oh, God! You're okay!' she choked. 'I was so worried! Thank God you're okay!'

'Me-Megumi…?' he murmured.

'Yes, Sanosuke, it's…' she said, and froze suddenly. She let go of him and Sano awkwardly pulled himself up into a sitting position. He looked around dazedly for a moment, before letting his eyes fall on her again. Megumi breathed in sharply. 'What…what did you just call me?'

Sano frowned. 'Megumi,' he said promptly. 'Er…what's going on? Why are we on the floor? In a train?'

Megumi was numb with shock. 'Sano…how old are you?' she finally managed to ask.

'Er…twenty one…I think?' he said, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at her in an odd way. 'Megumi, is there something wrong? Are you okay?'

'You mean…you don't remember?' she said, and paused when she felt there was something wrong about her question. 'I mean…you actually remember? Kenshin and Kaoru and everything else?'

'Um…yeah,' Sano said, confused. 'Kenshin's my best friend…and Kaoru's his fiancée, right? Why are you asking me all those questions? It's not like I've forgotten everything!'

Then, out of the blue, and under everybody's confused stares, Megumi threw her arms around Sano's neck and started to sob into his shoulder, all the while saying, "You're back! You're finally back!". She held him tightly, not wanting to let go. She feared that if she let go, he might drift back into a case of amnesia, and she wouldn't be able to bring him back. Sano, on the other hand, was feeling absolutely bewildered. Yet, he gently put his arms around her and held her to him.

'I love you, Sanosuke,' she whispered.

-

_Dad! You know what?_

_No. What?_

_I really love Miss Takani!_

**-**

**A/N: There you go! He finally gets his memory back! Yay! Oh, God! This felt really good! I seriously adore this story! But sadly, the next chapter is going to be the last one and I'm going to have to finally let go! Waaaaaah! Ah, well, I suppose nothing lasts forever, eh? Well, please review, okay? And wait for the last chapter!**

**Oh, and sorry this was shorter than usual!**

_- S. N. B._


	11. Epilogue

**D/C: Sad as I am to say it, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hello, and welcome to the last chapter, or rather, the epilogue of The Babysitter! (waits for applaud to die away) Ehm, anyway, thank you all for the very nice reviews on my last chapter, and now, without further ado, I present to you, the Epilogue! **

**Enjoy!**

**Oh, and individual thanks to whoever reviewed this story at the bottom because I've been such a lazy bum and haven't been replying to anyone. Hehe.**

**Epilogue**

'So…all it needed was another bump on the head?'

'Uh…I think it's slightly more complicated than that, Kaoru.'

The four of them - Sano, Megumi, Kenshin and Kaoru - had gone out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate Sano's recovery. Three days had already passed since Sano got his memory back, and he looked and felt as good as ever. Megumi had explained everything to him, and although Sano had found it difficult to believe that he had been actually acting like a nine year old for a few weeks, she had managed to convince him in the end. And as a way of keeping her promise, little by little, she started filling him in on the events of these days.

'No, I'm serious; we should've tried hitting you on the head before, it always works on TV,' Kaoru replied. 'And this way, we would've saved poor Megumi the trouble of taking care of you.'

As Sano blushed a deep shade of red, Megumi hastened to change the subject. 'Actually, Kaoru, hitting Sano on the head might've made it more difficult for him to get his memory back,' she said quickly. 'Or it might've given him a coma, who knows? It really doesn't work every time.'

'Oh,' Kaoru murmured.

'Was it troubling for you, though?' Sano suddenly asked. He sneaked a glance in her direction. 'Taking care of me, I mean?'

Megumi gently rested her hand on his. 'Sano…don't I keep telling you it's been a complete pleasure?' she said softly.

Sano smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. Another highlight of these three days was the fact that she and Sano were back together now, and this time, Megumi was determined to let this relationship last for a lot more than just twenty four hours.

'Aww, you two are so cute together!' Kaoru gushed, and they both immediately pulled apart. 'What? It's true! Isn't it, Kenshin?'

'Yes, it's completely true,' he agreed. Kenshin had been quiet all night, and only spoke when someone asked him something, but Megumi could tell he was genuinely happy. He had been grinning broadly all the while, she was seriously starting to think that maybe his mouth had stretched permanently to that position.

Sano glanced at his watch for the hundredth time that night. 'Dammit, what's taking them so long?' he muttered angrily.

Megumi frowned. 'What's taking who so long?' she asked, curiously.

Sano was looking flustered all of a sudden. 'Um…well…' he stuttered. His expression brightened. 'There they are! Finally!'

Megumi turned around in her seat. It took her only a brief moment to locate "them". A bunch of waiters carrying an enormous birthday cake before them. She gasped. She wheeled around on Sano, who was laughing happily.

'Happy birthday!' he exclaimed, before leaning in to give her another kiss.

Megumi was absolutely dumbfounded. 'It's…it's the tenth of June already?' she demanded, after he had pulled away.

Kaoru and Kenshin had started to laugh as well. 'See? That's what I meant? Megumi had been too caught up in babysitting Sano that she even forgot her birthday!' Kaoru said.

'Hey! Why is everything my fault?' Sano protested.

The waiters placed the cake in front of Megumi, and then they all started singing for her. Sano and the others joined in, with Sano singing at the top of his voice. People around them were starting to peer curiously at them, trying to figure out who the birthday person was. Megumi blushed red to the roots of her hair and sank down in her chair. Laughing, Sano grabbed her around the waist and pulled her upright again. When they all finished singing, they all urged her to blow the candles.

'And don't forget to make a wish!' Kaoru reminded her.

'A wish. Right,' Megumi said, nodding. She made her wish and blew out all the candles. Everyone, including the people in the restaurant, started clapping, and Sano pulled her into his arms in a tight hug. 'Thank you, Sano; this was really wonderful!' she murmured.

'Are you happy?' he asked anxiously.

Megumi beamed at him. 'I'm ecstatic!' she replied. 'But how come you remembered? Oh, God, Sano! You have such a strong memory!'

Sano grinned. 'Yup, I pride myself for it,' he said.

Kaoru moved forward and hugged her, particularly shouting, "Happy birthday!" in her ears, and Kenshin came after her, and formally shook her hand and wished her a happy birthday.

Sano slipped his fingers through hers and started tugging at her hand. 'Let's go outside. I have something to give you,' he murmured in her ear.

'Ooh, a present?' she said, delighted.

Sano smiled. 'We'll see,' he replied. He looked at his friends. 'You don't mind, do you?'

'Mind?' Kaoru repeated, looking horrified. She exchanged grins with Kenshin. 'Of course not! Take your time! We'll be waiting for you here!'

'With the cake,' Kenshin added.

'Yup! With a nice, big, chocolate cake!' she agreed.

Sano nodded. He started to pull Megumi towards the magnificent double doors which led out to the garden. Curiosity was building up inside Megumi, but she didn't say anything. She had always loved surprises…so why spoil this one? She was confused, however, when Sano led her to a clearing in the middle of the garden, which was coated by marble squares. She had been kinda expecting him to take her to the fountain or the rose bushes.

Sano led her to the middle of the clearing. 'Right…this is the spot,' he said, and glanced at his watch. 'Any second now…'

'Sano, what on Earth are you…?' she started, but she was never allowed to complete her question as jets of water erupted from beneath them. She cried out in surprise and made an attempt to run away, but Sano grabbed her hand. 'Sano! I'm going to kill you! You did this on purpose!'

'Yup!' he said, laughing.

'It's not funny!' she protested, her face screwed up in indignation. She struggled to keep her dress down. 'Look at me! I'm a mess!'

'No, you aren't! You look as beautiful as ever!' he replied. He was also soaking wet now. His shirt was clinging to his body and his faded jeans looked absolutely dark with water now. 'Isn't this fun?'

'No, it isn't! Sano, look at us! We're wet! We can't go back into the restaurant like this!' she said angrily. She had to shout to make herself heard over the thundering of the water.

'Don't worry; I've got spare outfits ready for us!' he assured her. Suddenly he had stopped laughing. His expression became intense and serious. 'Besides…I really wanted to do this differently.'

Megumi's breath was caught in her throat. 'D-do what, exactly?' she stammered.

The water stopped erupting from beneath them, and everything was quiet again. It was just the two of them, standing in the middle of the clearing, soaking wet. They both gazed intently into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Sano dropped to his knees in front of her and reached for something inside his pocket. Megumi gasped as Sano presented a beautiful diamond ring to her.

'Megumi Takani…will you marry me?' he said softly.

Megumi was absolutely overwhelmed, she started to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she buried her face in her hands to hide them. Sano panicked. He quickly scrambled up to his feet and gently pulled her hands away. He cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumb.

'Shush now…why are you crying?' he asked her. 'Was it something I said?'

'No…' she choked.

'What is it, then?' he asked.

'It's just that…you're such an idiot! Rushing into marriage like that when we've barely known each other!' she said. 'You just don't know what you want!'

'Oh, but I do know what I want,' he replied. 'I've known what I want my whole life…and now that I've been given a chance, I'm not going to let it slip away again.'

'Sano…' she whispered, more tears streaming down her face.

Sano pouted. 'Miss Takani…pwease don't cwy…it hurts me to see you cwy,' he whined. In spite of herself, Megumi giggled. Sano smiled, and held up the ring again. 'So…will you?'

Megumi smiled through her tears and nodded. 'Yes…yes, I will,' she agreed.

Looking like he might burst with happiness, Sano slowly slipped the ring around her finger. He stroked her face. 'You know, Megumi, you're the best thing that had ever happened to me my whole life,' he said. 'I love you, Miss Takani.'

Megumi's eyes brimmed with tears again. 'I love you, too, Sano,' she murmured.

And as they leaned towards each other for a kiss, the water jets erupted from beneath them. Megumi didn't mind it this time…her whole world was Sano now.

-

_I wish Sano and I remain together…forever…_

**-**

**A/N: Awwwwwwwww! Oh, God, I've always wanted to write the epilogue! I've been longing for I ever since I started writing the story! Wasn't that absolutely adorable? We can't get enough fluffiness, can we? (wipes tear from her eye) B-but, this is the last time for me writing this story; I'm so sad. But don't you worry, I've got another Sano x Megumi story up my sleeve; I've already got all the basic ideas noted down already. Here's the basic plot: Megumi is dared to take Sano out on a date, even though she's known to hate his guts. But, things take a definite turn upwards on their date...but will Megumi's tongue slip about the dare? What do you think? It's gonna be a short one; probably three or four chapters..**

**And, before I go, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed my story. **

**Thanks to…**

**Crewel, Aldailyn, TinyTERI, Becky, Gorilaz, Ishimaru Amon, Akanke, Adelaide MacGregor, Ken, Lara, Nyako, Shimmering Tear, Megumi, meant2be, CrimeSceneSC, Foxer, roosterboy, Hawk-EVB, MadiSano, Aiko1504, meg.chan, ShadowCounterpart, sakuradancer3, Chibi Binasu-chan, Crystal Winds, Silent Tears of Agony, spazzy, SommerDieFluer, unknown beedee, Princess of the Knight, sanodevil, paris, midnite cherry blossomz, asga, -missdance-, ChildlikeEmpress, Jenny, Chysie, xXdragonXdreamerXx, MagicalSecret, TheUniverseBeyond, fruitybananas, Samantha, Painted Angel Wings, Gillian, KawaiiInuyasha14841, enchantedsleeper, KitsuneLauz, fireblazie, Meet.A.L.E.X. **

**...for reading and reviewing my story! Arigatou-gozaimasu!**

_- S. N. B. _


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